1
as in victim
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 joke
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 goal
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
as in to taunt
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 target
Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 8 June 2025
Marking Anderson’s 13th feature, The Phoenician Scheme is now in theaters, starring del Toro as wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda, who becomes the target of a deadly pursuit after appointing his nun daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton), as the sole heir to his estate.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 June 2025
Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
The project started back in 2020 with the objective of appealing beyond video game or animation fans, targeting mainstream audiences and techno-thriller enthusiasts.
—Kevin Giraud, Variety, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for target
Noun
Only Kane and Bellingham (three) had more shots on target than the 23-year-old’s two efforts.
—Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 8 June 2025
Marking Anderson’s 13th feature, The Phoenician Scheme is now in theaters, starring del Toro as wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda, who becomes the target of a deadly pursuit after appointing his nun daughter, Sister Liesl (Mia Threapleton), as the sole heir to his estate.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 8 June 2025
Verb
Long-range drone attacks continue Russia has repeatedly targeted civilian areas of Ukraine with Shahed drones during the war, as happened on Sunday night.
—Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2025
The project started back in 2020 with the objective of appealing beyond video game or animation fans, targeting mainstream audiences and techno-thriller enthusiasts.
—Kevin Giraud, Variety, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for target
Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
Noun
-
Jones added what doesn't make sense in all this is Gov. Gavin Newsom's Democratic Party continues to push to protect perpetrators instead of victims and using the Menendez brothers' case to get their bill across the finish line.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2025
-
These tactics are designed to lead the victim straight onto a negotiation footing where the attacker has the upper hand.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes.com,
7 June 2025
Noun
-
Surrounded by her animals at home, Lin watched re-runs of The Big Bang Theory, practicing the cadence of the words, the rising sound of a joke, the pacing of each phrase.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
-
The site’s users took great joy in watching the feud in real time, responding to the showdown between the president and the world’s wealthiest man with jokes and memes.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
Noun
-
But Bennett’s goal would not keep the Panthers ahead for long.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
7 June 2025
-
The goal being to have 30 teams all in a position, if well-managed, to be competing for championships.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
After taking care of business on the scoreboard, Matthew Tkachuk took care of business with Aho, taunting and pushing and trying to fight him in a manner Aho didn’t want and his Carolina teammates didn’t rush.—
Dave Hyde,
Sun Sentinel,
25 May 2025
-
This isn’t just about the flashbacks to Reggie Miller taunting Spike Lee or those great battles from roughly three decades ago.—
Zach Harper,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
Noun
-
In late 2019, a telemarketing company in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area fell prey to a crippling ransomware attack.—
Harry Kazakian,
Forbes.com,
3 June 2025
-
The results also indicate that megalodon populations living in different habitats had slightly contrasting diets, potentially because of differing prey availability.—
Margherita Bassi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
29 May 2025
Noun
-
If a gorilla mock charges (pounding its chest and sprinting toward you), resist every instinct to scream and run.—
The Learning Network,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
-
The Texans were able to snag him in the third round, and many mocks had the receiver going at the beginning of the second.—
Mark Weinstein,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The initial aim of the technology is to help patients with severe paralysis restore some independence.—
Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
2 June 2025
-
Many believe the aim of his blatant attack on democracy is to escape his bribery, fraud, and breach of trust court case.—
Ehud Barak,
Time,
2 June 2025
Verb
-
That approach has come under new scrutiny after Thomas, one of the league’s biggest stars, was harassed by a bettor at a Philadelphia race earlier this month.—
Eric Jackson,
Sportico.com,
12 June 2025
-
This certainly isn't the first time a man has made news for allegedly stalking or harassing the megastar.—
Mirna Alsharif,
NBC news,
10 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share