TARGETING Synonyms: 63 Similar and Opposite Words

targeting

verb

present participle of target

as in harassing

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of targeting Taylor, a fluid 6-foot-5, is already the Jets’ second-best receiver and plays with a quarterback, Justin Fields, who is prone to targeting tight ends — fifth-highest tight end target rate since 2021, and Cole Kmet had a career-high 719 yards with Fields as his quarterback in 2023. — Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for targeting

Verb

And the American Indian Movement originated in Minneapolis in 1968, establishing community patrols to monitor police who were harassing Native American groups.

— Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Nearly two years after Mica’s death, John-Paul was indicted for allegedly stalking and harassing her in the months leading up to her suicide.

— Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of harassing

Verb

The big house sat clear, taunting their one‑room shack with its size, her children somewhere swallowed in the expansiveness of the land.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
Cunningham’s highlights are hard fouls, a few 3-pointers, taunting, serving as a ring girl at a UFC fight, her sense of humor, and now commentary that has a Fox flair.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of taunting

Verb

Superwedding now past, Taylor Swift’s husband, TE Travis Kelce, can get back to tormenting NFL defenses for a few more seasons.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026
Aside from tormenting the sole out transgender member of Congress by waging a campaign to bar her from using the women’s bathroom in the Capitol, Mace had been a side player that year.

— Annie Karni, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of tormenting

Verb

Children became the sales force, pestering their parents for the latest product.

— Andrew Silow-Carroll, Sun Sentinel, 31 Aug. 2026
In the clip shared on social media, the bird appears poised to go after a second player before veering off at the last moment, then continues pestering several others on the field until the referee is forced to pause the game.

— Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of pestering

Verb

Professional athletes have joked about it in the past, with even all-time NBA great LeBron James teasing at a potential college sports journey post-retirement—albeit as more of a joke than an actual plan.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Netflix has dropped a first look at the sixth and final season teasing that answer.

— Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of teasing

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targeted

targeting

targets

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“Targeting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targeting. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of targeting

verb

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