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
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Recent Examples of targets
CNBC, 15 Jan. 2026
The new coordinator’s top priority will be unlocking Herbert’s full potential by giving him more time to pick out his targets and giving him more options in the game plan.
—Elliott Teaford, Oc Register, 15 Jan. 2026
Playing opposite fellow starting cornerback Carlton Davis, Gonzalez allowed 35 catches on 80 targets for 357 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions this season, including Sunday’s wild-card round win over the Chargers.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 14 Jan. 2026
According to Attorney General Dave Sunday, when a customer clicks on the website, scammers pretending to be employees make claims about past-due payments, trying to scare targets into turning over personal information or money.
—Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2026
The Post was told that Natanson and the newspaper are not targets of the probe, executive editor Matt Murray said in an email to colleagues.
—Eric Tucker, Chicago Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
McMillan and Coker combined for 19 targets, 13 receptions, 215 yards and a touchdown in this game.
—Derrik Klassen, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2026
Israel also killed senior Iranian commanders and struck symbolic regime targets.
—Karl Vick, Time, 13 Jan. 2026
Many of the targets of the investigations have been members of the Somali immigrant community.
—Frederick Melo, Twin Cities, 12 Jan. 2026
Noun
The team also updated its medium-term targets for the asset and wealth management business.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for targets
Noun
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Orange County has appropriated nearly $500 million to cover possible payouts to victims of the fire, and as of August had paid more than $39 million in settlements so far.—
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Additionally, Busfield allegedly told police that the alleged victims’ parents were upset their sons had been replaced with a younger actor who auditioned for The Cleaning Lady.—
Noun
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Yes, as it is said, some jokes just write themselves.—
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Performers have been reprimanded for making racist, sexist and homophobic jokes during shows in the late 1990s and 2000s, according to Westword, and Stock Show officials were quick to apologize.—
Noun
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Brett Hull, a dual citizen who was born in Canada and played internationally for the United States, had 741 goals.—
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Bringing Arcadia and Big Red food to customers year-round at festivals, corporate events, weddings, private parties and community events is another of Nguyen’s goals.—
Verb
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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.—
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Instead, Pennywise taunts Ingrid before showing her the deadlights and leaving her (mostly) catatonic.—
Noun
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Before a victim falls prey to a scam, they are often duped in a quick, emotional, panic-inducing way.—
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Advertisement The show also falls prey to a few unfortunate streaming-era trends, from a penultimate flashback episode that delays the payoff of a cliffhanger by filling in backstory of questionable utility, to a scantness of plot that makes the whole short season feel like an overgrown prologue.—
Noun
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The fools of twenty-first-century Western imperialism possessed little of the historical literacy, let alone the moral sophistication, of Arendt, Weil, and Camus.—
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The mind wants desperately to connect with a person—and fools itself into seeing one in a machine.—
Noun
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The information provided in this article is for general informational and educational purposes only.—
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Marvel has publicly acknowledged that the studio's productions often scan actors' bodies, though the scans are generally only used for visual effects purposes rather than storing actors' likenesses for future projects.—
Verb
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Setting traps and baits eradicates or, at least, discourages these pests from tunneling through your garden and nibbling roots to damage perennials and shrubs.—
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This Christmas, Nelson’s surprising and fresh remake baits controversy in a couple new ways.—
Cite this Entry
“Targets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targets. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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