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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of targets
Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
This classical Pilates exercise targets your lower back muscles and extensors, which help with lifting objects.
—Leoni Jesner, Health, 1 Nov. 2025
Sources told the Herald that the targets — which could be struck by air in a matter of days or even hours — also aim to decapitate the cartel’s hierarchy.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
The long-range missiles, capable of striking targets up to 1,000 miles away, would significantly boost Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian infrastructure deep inside enemy territory.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
That slower growth means that targets to triple global solar capacity by 2030 will probably be missed, and growing demand for energy means emissions are still rising.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent price action is giving us a better reward scenario with upside targets of $34 and $43.
—Jay Woods, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Hyundai, despite seeing a 29% decline in profits compared to the same quarter last year, still plans to meet its targets for the year.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
London seen double-digit targets in three straight games and has amassed a 32% team target share (third-highest in NFL).
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
The first is safety, as no need for troops to mark targets manually; drones can do it from afar.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 2 Nov. 2025
This classical Pilates exercise targets your lower back muscles and extensors, which help with lifting objects.
—Leoni Jesner, Health, 1 Nov. 2025
Sources told the Herald that the targets — which could be struck by air in a matter of days or even hours — also aim to decapitate the cartel’s hierarchy.
—Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 31 Oct. 2025
The long-range missiles, capable of striking targets up to 1,000 miles away, would significantly boost Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian infrastructure deep inside enemy territory.
—Gabe Whisnant, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2025
That slower growth means that targets to triple global solar capacity by 2030 will probably be missed, and growing demand for energy means emissions are still rising.
—Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Recent price action is giving us a better reward scenario with upside targets of $34 and $43.
—Jay Woods, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
Hyundai, despite seeing a 29% decline in profits compared to the same quarter last year, still plans to meet its targets for the year.
—Camila Domonoske, NPR, 31 Oct. 2025
London seen double-digit targets in three straight games and has amassed a 32% team target share (third-highest in NFL).
—Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for targets
Noun
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Other evidence released includes handwritten notes from investigators, photos of nail clippings from the victims that were tested for DNA evidence and samples from Kohberger's Hyundai Elantra that were tested at the crime lab.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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The ceremony will feature singer Lee Murdock and end with a wreath ceremony, each wreath representing one of the victims, per the society.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Of course, not all jokes can be so easily divided into these categories.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Nov. 2025
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Plus, under the watchful eyes of veteran host Casey Wilson and newbie Andrew Rannells, the jokes never stop in the tent, as seen in another clip.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The observatory is conducting a ten-year-long survey of the southern sky, dubbed the Legacy Survey of Space and Time, which has as one of its principal goals improving our understanding of the nature of both dark energy and dark matter.—
Ian Randall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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Coming into his 21st season in the league, Ovechkin needed three goals to become the inaugural member of the 900 club.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Bully Ray envisioned a moment where a rival taunts the voiceless Knight.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
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Garraty is forced to slap himself across the face to stay awake as Barkovitch taunts him.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Shorebirds like sandpipers and plovers use this sense to detect prey beneath the sand by sensing subtle mechanical vibrations.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Many thousands flee its mandatory, indefinite military service – and some fall prey to exploitative trafficking gangs.—
Mick Krever,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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None of this is meant to suggest that a trade is imminent, but if offered the chance to trade these three players for Peralta, the Yankees would be fools not to take it.—
Jackson Roberts,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 Oct. 2025
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Sabonis and Zach LaVine are fringe All-Stars most seasons, Keegan Murray is a solid wing starter who shoots and defends, DeRozan can still get midrange buckets and shot-fake fools into heaps of fouls, and Malik Monk is electric in a sixth-man role.—
John Hollinger,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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These innovations can be used for a variety of purposes, including assisting humans with tasks, conducting research, or performing dangerous or tedious jobs.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Nov. 2025
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The current policy, last revised in 2010, allows students to possess electronic devices during the school day but prohibits their use unless approved for educational purposes.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Nancy adds that her family didn't know that the community was dropping the rabies baits, and didn't receive any mailers about the drop.—
Kelli Bender,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
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Trolling crank baits along points and flats 15 feet deep over deeper water should still work.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Targets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targets. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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