1
as in victims
a person or thing that is the object of abuse, criticism, or ridicule
the hapless vice president quickly became the favorite target of late-night comedians
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in jokes
a person or thing that is made fun of
a badly made TV commercial that became the target of lots of jokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in goals
something that one hopes or intends to accomplish
our target is to raise $100,000 for a new playground by August
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of targets
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Mar. 2026
For its part, Ukraine has developed long-range drones and missiles to hit targets in rear areas that keep Moscow’s war machine going.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Among the most compelling targets is the TRAPPIST-1 system, about 40 light-years away, which hosts multiple potentially habitable Earth-size rocky planets.
—Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Tolbert’s competition for wide receiver targets includes fellow free agent Tutu Atwell and returning wideouts Malik Washington, Tahj Washington and Theo Wease Jr.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Cheap, ubiquitous and always on, cameras are uniquely useful targets.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
If dryness and breakage are the primary issues, the Mielle Organics oil targets both scalp hydration and split-end prevention.
—Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Out of the states Harris will visit, only North Carolina and Georgia are considered viable targets for any Democratic presidential candidate.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
At the beginning of the daring raid, a series of US strikes hit targets across Venezuela.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Noun
In fact, its performance exceeded key targets set for next-generation fuel cells.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Mar. 2026
For its part, Ukraine has developed long-range drones and missiles to hit targets in rear areas that keep Moscow’s war machine going.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
Among the most compelling targets is the TRAPPIST-1 system, about 40 light-years away, which hosts multiple potentially habitable Earth-size rocky planets.
—Stefanie Waldek, Space.com, 26 Mar. 2026
Tolbert’s competition for wide receiver targets includes fellow free agent Tutu Atwell and returning wideouts Malik Washington, Tahj Washington and Theo Wease Jr.
—David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026
Cheap, ubiquitous and always on, cameras are uniquely useful targets.
—Deni Ellis Béchard, Scientific American, 26 Mar. 2026
If dryness and breakage are the primary issues, the Mielle Organics oil targets both scalp hydration and split-end prevention.
—Miami Herald, 26 Mar. 2026
Out of the states Harris will visit, only North Carolina and Georgia are considered viable targets for any Democratic presidential candidate.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2026
At the beginning of the daring raid, a series of US strikes hit targets across Venezuela.
—Michael Rios, CNN Money, 26 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for targets
Noun
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Both victims were under age 5 at the time of the crime, according to the statement.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
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Police also said that Marrero did not make payments to the IRS when he was supposed to, which raised his victims' alarms.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
TikTok Reacts Viewers flooded the comments with theories and jokes.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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On social media, make jokes that don’t follow logic or build toward a punch line, but rather rely on jump cuts and endless captions.—
Emily Menez,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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DeBrusk and Boeser each scored power-play goals, and the penalty kill weathered a 95 second five-on-three before conceding Granlund's goal late in a penalty to defenseman Elias Pettersson.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
25 Mar. 2026
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And city residents question whether the strategy will produce lasting gains or primarily serve short-term political goals.—
Cleve R. Wootson Jr. The Washington Post,
Arkansas Online,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
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So much for Anthropic's Super Bowl taunts.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
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In a 30-second clip, Adams is seen leaving a jet bridge while a woman who is walking ahead of him seemingly taunts Adams.—
Marley Malenfant,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In the video, the snake flicks its tongue, a common sensory behavior used to detect chemical cues in the air and identify nearby prey or potential predators.—
Jasmine Mendez
Follow,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Mar. 2026
-
The same can’t be said about their prey.—
Boston Herald editorial staff,
Boston Herald,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
McGinn sets high standards in training and during games and does not suffer fools.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
-
Antisemitism is the socialism of fools, right?—
Suzanne Schneider,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The robotic characters break free from their restaurant resting place to cause chaos in town, while the villainous Marionette pops up to possess victims for her own nefarious purposes.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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Trump has not only stolen top-secret government files, apparently for business purposes but used his office to harass and investigate his political targets.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Setting traps and baits eradicates or, at least, discourages these pests from tunneling through your garden and nibbling roots to damage perennials and shrubs.—
Barbara Gillette,
The Spruce,
15 Jan. 2026
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This Christmas, Nelson’s surprising and fresh remake baits controversy in a couple new ways.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
11 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Targets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targets. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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