Synonyms of targets

targets 1 of 2

noun

plural of target

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

• victims
• prey
• butts
• marks
• sitting ducks
• scapegoats
• laughingstocks
• goats
• mockeries
• lightning rods
• fall guys
• pilgarlics
• whipping boys

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• troublemakers
• gossips
• tormentors
• gossipers
• tattlers
• tattletales
• defamers
• torturers
• talebearers
• traducers
• libelers
• hecklers
• teasers
• baiters
• taunters
• needlers
• teases
• mockers
• ribbers
• insulters
• scorners
• scoffers
• satirists
• deriders
• libelists
• caricaturists
• parodists
• lampooners
• ridiculers

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

• jokes
• victims
• fools
• sports
• butts
• mocks
• marks
• laughingstocks
• pigeons
• jests
• dupes
• mockeries
• derisions
• suckers
• monkeys
• gulls
• saps
• chumps
• fall guys

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pets
• favorites
• darlings

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

• goals
• purposes
• plans
• objectives
• aims
• objects
• intentions
• ambitions
• intents
• ideas
• dreams
• things
• aspirations
• points
• ideals
• designs
• meanings
• pretensions
• projects
• marks
• bournes
• ends
• hopes
• schemes
• desires
• plots
• destinations
• wishes
• minds
• holy grails
• grails
• nirvanas
• termini

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• means
• methods
• ways

targets

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of target

as in taunts

Related Words

• taunts
• baits
• harasses
• torments
• bugs
• needles
• kids
• rags
• ribs
• harries
• barracks
• pesters
• caricatures
• rallies
• tweaks
• parodies
• teases
• quizzes
• heckles
• twits
• hassles
• catcalls
• pillories
• lampoons
• takes off (on)
• satirizes
• mimics
• rides
• parrots
• apes
• jives
• burlesques
• razzes
• travesties
• imitates
• chaffs
• disparages
• belittles
• decries
• scouts
• joshes
• ridicules
• scorns
• scoffs (at)
• gibes
• bad-mouths
• mocks
• laughs (at)
• jeers
• sneers (at)
• derides
• pooh-poohs
• skewers
• shoots down
• puts down

Dissimilar Words

• approves
• endorses
• commends
• sanctions
• applauds

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of targets

Noun

Watching his boys hit targets in the Tempe Diablo batting cages is one of Dino’s favorite baseball memories. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026

Iran responded with attacks on 85 US military targets in nearby Bahrain and Kuwait, the IRGC said on Wednesday morning. — Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 9 July 2026

The German leader said the agreement on the long-range missiles, which are used to strike targets deep inside enemy territory, was reached this week on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey's capital, Ankara. — ABC News, 9 July 2026

Maine remains one of the top targets for Democrats, who would also need to win an open seat in North Carolina and some combination of red states like Alaska, Ohio, Iowa and Texas. — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 9 July 2026

Democrats need to flip four Senate seats and Collins is one of their top targets. — Philip Elliott, Time, 9 July 2026

That rapid shift has pushed governments to strengthen air defenses capable of detecting and tracking small, fast-moving aerial targets. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026

Chicken dominates most protein plans, but a growing number of eaters want variety without sacrificing daily protein targets. — Lauren Jarvis-Gibson july 9, Sacbee.com, 9 July 2026

The two daredevils who scaled the spire of the Empire State Building while the world watched have been grounded by the New York Police Department and are now the targets of a criminal investigation. — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 3 July 2026