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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of targets
Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
The move was like giving the Italian government—and the EU’s clean energy targets—the middle finger.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
For that reason, the European intelligence official said, targets will never be safe.
—Emma Burrows, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson play his targets Anna and Tom Bowden, with Anna serving as the more morally dubious of the attorney pair.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Increasing the density of housing units would mean converting less farmland and could help the project meet vehicle emissions targets.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 6 May 2026
The gain influence over technology roadmaps, a strong pipeline of acquisition targets, competitive information about potential disruption, unique insight about future industry directions, and the chance to develop strategic partnerships with innovators growing rapidly.
—Anis Uzzaman, Fortune, 6 May 2026
OpenAI's reported miss on revenue and user targets, according to The Wall Street Journal, signals risks for Chinese and American players alike, Jefferies said in an April 28 note.
—Elaine Yu, CNBC, 6 May 2026
Sumy was among several targets of Russia's overnight strikes.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 6 May 2026
Noun
Before Manning’s play declined, Beckham was one of his favorite targets.
—Ryan Canfield, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
The move was like giving the Italian government—and the EU’s clean energy targets—the middle finger.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 May 2026
For that reason, the European intelligence official said, targets will never be safe.
—Emma Burrows, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson play his targets Anna and Tom Bowden, with Anna serving as the more morally dubious of the attorney pair.
—Wilson Chapman, IndieWire, 7 May 2026
Increasing the density of housing units would mean converting less farmland and could help the project meet vehicle emissions targets.
—Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 6 May 2026
The gain influence over technology roadmaps, a strong pipeline of acquisition targets, competitive information about potential disruption, unique insight about future industry directions, and the chance to develop strategic partnerships with innovators growing rapidly.
—Anis Uzzaman, Fortune, 6 May 2026
OpenAI's reported miss on revenue and user targets, according to The Wall Street Journal, signals risks for Chinese and American players alike, Jefferies said in an April 28 note.
—Elaine Yu, CNBC, 6 May 2026
Sumy was among several targets of Russia's overnight strikes.
—David Brennan, ABC News, 6 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for targets
Noun
-
The check was requested by a relative after friends and family had not heard from the victims, officials said.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
9 May 2026
-
Jones is also charged with possession of a firearm with prior violent convictions and some of his current felony charges carry enhancements related to using a firearm, as well as causing great bodily injury to one of the victims, the DA's Office said.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
Martin gets some jokes about it, more from older generations than teammates or opponents.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
-
Commenters respond to the post As always, commenters were quick to jump on the opportunity to make jokes – in this case, about Kennedy's storied past with animals, especially of the wild persuasion.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Noun
-
Senior forward Jordyn Washington, who also scored Tuesday, has a team-best 17 goals.—
Patrick Z. McGavin,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Beachy is worried that basic research could take a back seat to short-term goals as defined by the White House.—
Scott Neuman,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Newsom taunts Trump with multiple jabs as Florida redistricting fight ramps up.—
,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Owen is a serial killer who, much like Zodiac, taunts the police with phone calls threatening the murder of innocent citizens.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His robust jaw muscles gave him an advantage at snapping at large prey.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
3 May 2026
-
Having both metals arranged in this way turns the stinger into a biological spear capable of punching through tough hides or exoskeletons of prey.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
As Rose’s impoverished yet imperious mother Ruth, Parson’s dry deliveries offer great comic ballast to this ship of fools.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
-
McGinn sets high standards in training and during games and does not suffer fools.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The city has banned an arm in common use for lawful purposes by law-abiding citizens.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
4 May 2026
-
The information provided is for educational purposes and should not be construed as financial, investment or trading advice.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Officials will continue to investigate the area for further evidence of poison bait, and also stressed the importance of the community's cooperation to discourage and prevent the use of poison baits against wildlife.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
20 Apr. 2026
-
Whereas fast fashion baits consumers with poorly made clothing available for a limited time, Jendue takes a more elevated approach with high quality denim from Turkey.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Targets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targets. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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