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
Relevance
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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of targets
Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Mar. 2026
Iran has repeatedly denied targeting oil infrastructure and other civilian targets in the war, despite its drone and missile fire hitting those sites.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026
Attar said that the rapid advancement in drones and artificial intelligence means decisions to execute targets happen at a much faster pace than ever before.
—Justin Salhani, The Dial, 5 Mar. 2026
Some, like Zdorovetskiy, have been accused of assaulting and humiliating their targets as viewers push for violence.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
Iran has also repeatedly denied targeting oil infrastructure and other civilian targets, even as its missiles and drones have hit such sites.
—Jon Gambrell, Twin Cities, 5 Mar. 2026
In the joint operation, Israeli aircraft dropped hundreds of munitions on approximately 500 targets, including missile launchers, command centers and air defense batteries.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The datasets include a wide variety of targets in terms of size, shape and orientation, with all data fully georeferenced and with precise ground truth.
—Sagar Lekhak, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
Thousands of delegates are gathered in Beijing for the National People’s Congress, where the ruling Communist Party sets economic targets, lays out policies and signals its tone to the rest of the world.
—Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
Each missile can carry multiple nuclear warheads using the Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRV) concept, enabling a single launch to strike several targets.
—Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 6 Mar. 2026
Iran has repeatedly denied targeting oil infrastructure and other civilian targets in the war, despite its drone and missile fire hitting those sites.
—Arkansas Online, 6 Mar. 2026
Attar said that the rapid advancement in drones and artificial intelligence means decisions to execute targets happen at a much faster pace than ever before.
—Justin Salhani, The Dial, 5 Mar. 2026
Some, like Zdorovetskiy, have been accused of assaulting and humiliating their targets as viewers push for violence.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 5 Mar. 2026
Iran has also repeatedly denied targeting oil infrastructure and other civilian targets, even as its missiles and drones have hit such sites.
—Jon Gambrell, Twin Cities, 5 Mar. 2026
In the joint operation, Israeli aircraft dropped hundreds of munitions on approximately 500 targets, including missile launchers, command centers and air defense batteries.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 5 Mar. 2026
The datasets include a wide variety of targets in terms of size, shape and orientation, with all data fully georeferenced and with precise ground truth.
—Sagar Lekhak, The Conversation, 5 Mar. 2026
Thousands of delegates are gathered in Beijing for the National People’s Congress, where the ruling Communist Party sets economic targets, lays out policies and signals its tone to the rest of the world.
—Janis MacKey Frayer, NBC news, 5 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for targets
Noun
-
In some cases, the department inadvertently released nude photos showing the faces of potential victims as well as names, email addresses and other identifying information that was either unredacted or not fully obscured.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Fortune,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Police identified two other victims and contacted their parents.—
Nick Ferraro,
Twin Cities,
6 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Colbert did read out several jokes that have been cut during his time on the show, crediting his writing staff for their quips.—
Emily Zemler,
Rolling Stone,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Over the years, more than 11,000 inscriptions have been found across the city, ranging from political commentary and love declarations to sporting slogans, jokes, and poems.—
Ryan Brennan,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As part of the Marriott Hotels & Resorts portfolio, the hotel also aligns with the brand’s Serve 360 sustainability goals.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Lewis’ goals are to increase accessibility to public information and protect voter information.—
Rachel Royster
Updated March 3,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
So much for Anthropic's Super Bowl taunts.—
Alexei Oreskovic,
Fortune,
10 Feb. 2026
-
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
-
Every few seconds, the wolf almost imperceptibly shifts its head, as if scanning the horizon for predators or prey.—
Rob Stein,
NPR,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Ultimately, many of these books’ characters are portrayed as avatars of resentment and disaffection, men who seem to fall prey to the rigid vision of masculinity dispensed by real-life adherents to the manosphere.—
Eric Magnuson,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Arsenal would be fools to adopt a different approach as long as nothing changes.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
April 1, because this cast is full of fools.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
This article is for informational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Express Employment Professionals, a staffing agency that has worked with 13 NCIA graduates in the last 18 months, confirmed that many could not be placed because the positions require a full license for insurance purposes.—
Brendan Hellweg,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
