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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of target
Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 7 Jan. 2026
Changes in the performance or financial condition of either the target or acquiror, as well as changes in the industry or financing landscapes, could jeopardize these financing arrangements.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 7 Jan. 2026
CNN Money, 22 Oct. 2025
Pivot team officers use data to proactively target crime hot spots across the city.
—David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for target
Noun
The company said the Series F funding round had exceeded a $15B target, with investors including Valor Equity Partners, Stepstone Group, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Qatar Investment Authority, MGX and Baron Capital Group, along with previous investors Nvidia and Cisco Investments.
—Verb
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime says Indonesia is a major drug smuggling hub despite having some of the strictest drug laws in the world, in part because international drug syndicates target its young population.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
Noun
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Police said evidence suggested Salat was aware of the victim’s age and attempted to meet with the child in person.—
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But the jury in the federal civil lawsuit found that Moore violated Gillispie's rights by hiding evidence that would have helped Gillispie's defense and creating unfair lineup procedures for the victims.—
Noun
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If that means being the frequent butt of jokes for his age, that's fine, too.—
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Try to ski with a friend, who might distract me with a story or a joke.—
Noun
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Join Palmer in crushing New Year’s fitness goals with this nifty Pilates set that comes with a ring, mini ball, and four resistance bands.—
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Giving love to local venues For McLaughlin and Arthurs, the goal was always to bring the film to venues around the Carolinas as a way to promote those spaces, like The Milestone, that were filled with local music history.—
Verb
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Lazzaro argued in court the mall victim was the aggressor and had taunted Hernandez over his history as a government informant, saying his reputation as a snitch would put him in grave danger back in prison.—
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The two come face-to-face at the end of the episode, during which Callahan taunts Kyle over his wife's murder.—
Noun
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British explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett, who wandered the Amazon for 22 years at the beginning of the 20th century before vanishing without a trace, wrote that the breath of the anaconda stupefied its prey.—
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Bring in your bird feeders overnight to avoid attracting coyote prey.—
Noun
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Do not let Fernando Mendoza’s earnestness fool you.—
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But telling Porsha something in confidence is a fool’s errand.—
Noun
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The aim is to dig into general themes rather than specific transfers that are currently ongoing to give a broad picture of as many elements as possible.—
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Nasa’s aim was to return astronauts to the Moon and ultimately establish a permanent lunar base.—
Verb
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Some might have expected Declan Rice alone to win those headers or harass the opposition in that manner, but the partnership between these two is about more than just Zubimendi allowing the England midfielder to burst into goalscoring areas.—
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Student and faculty critics also accused the university of being too slow to respond to complaints about a rising star astrophysicist, Christian Ott, accused or harassing and discriminating against female graduate students as early as 2012.—
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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