targeting

Definition of targetingnext
present participle of target

Example Sentences

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
  • Onyenso was the key to harassing the high-end NBA prospect into the roughest shooting performance of his season.
    ABC News, ABC News, 15 Mar. 2026
  • An internet troll started harassing Corey’s friends and making false claims about her son, prompting a police intervention.
    Carolyn Stein, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Cellphone video posted by Jada's aunt on social media shows Jada and another girl yelling and taunting each other while standing a good distance apart.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 12 Mar. 2026
  • Her reasoning is frustrating, but understandable — her husband (Yao), now a vampire, is taunting her outside, and Remmick has threatened to kill her daughter back in town.
    Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • In another, more recent case, three Wyoming men were charged with tormenting a moose by trying to ride it.
    Wendy Keefover, Denver Post, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Those mistakes neutralized some exciting attacking play from Austin FC, which spent the 90 minutes tormenting Minnesota United down the left flank.
    David Eckert, Austin American Statesman, 21 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • The replies are mostly AI bots, or rage-baiting stan accounts.
    Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Never mind foul-baiting and load management, the hottest topics circling the NBA in 2026 are tanking and the opposite – trying too hard to win, allegedly, in the Clippers’ case.
    Mirjam Swanson, Oc Register, 15 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
    R.J. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
  • But this is now a 20-game stint of pestering Knicks defense — with no example better than during Sunday’s 25-point takedown of the San Antonio Spurs.
    Fred Katz, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • And also, Bill has to be home and also not bugging me.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Clara could hear Dune’s sister, Fern, in the background bugging Dune to resume their chess game.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Eventually, Bournemouth were so sick of Sadiki’s hassling that substitute Lewis Cook jutted an elbow at him.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Netflix’s live-action One Piece is deep into production on Season 3, with the beloved Arabasta arc taking center stage, a wave of new casting locked in, and stars teasing a darker, more mature tone ahead.
    Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 16 Mar. 2026
  • Rivian has been teasing the R2 for a while now, dangling the promise of a smaller, cheaper, more attainable version of its beloved R1S in front of adventure-hungry buyers who couldn’t quite stretch to the $77,000-plus sticker of its halo SUV.
    Kevin Sintumuang, Outside, 13 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Targeting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targeting. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.

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