target 1 of 2

noun

ˈtär-gət How to pronounce target (audio)
Definition of targetnext
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

target

2 of 2

verb

as in to taunt

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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
Noun
Ethereum is also poised for gains, with Citigroup marking up its future target for the second-largest cryptocurrency’s price from $2,240 to $3,028. — Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026 Bowers was excellent in his season debut, catching 10 of his 13 targets for 116 yards and a touchdown. — Pete Sweeney october 1, Kansas City Star, 1 Oct. 2026
Verb
Popular active components like vitamin C and retinoids are intended to target a real concern, and a botanical routine can reach the same concerns more gently. — Miami Herald, 1 Oct. 2026 The sanctions add to that military pressure by adding economic repercussions, especially if the sanctions target buyers and networks helping sustain Russian energy. — Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for target
Recent Examples of Synonyms for target
  1. victim
  2. joke
  3. goal
  4. taunt
  5. prey
  6. fool
  7. aim
  8. harass
Noun
  • The victim reported that four teenagers stole their necklace and fled the scene, according to police.
    — Camryn Dadey, Sacbee.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The drama turns on a young woman, victim of spike drinking at a lavish New Year’s Eve party in a remote manor.
    — Annika Pham, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • That’s one of the wobbliest of the timeline-hopping jokes in the show.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Painfully aware of this, Shawn waited for one of the drunk old men to comment, heckle, make one of those incomprehensible jokes that drew rude laughter from adults.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • England, which aims to eliminate the virus by 2030, has already met its goal of treating 80% of its hepatitis C infections.
    — Philip A. Chan, STAT, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Clients meet with their advisor periodically to discuss priorities and review progress on financial goals.
    — Kate Dore, CFP®, EA,Kelli Grant, CFP®, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of goal
Verb
  • After jawing with Oregon players, the junior linebacker was seen taunting the Oregon sideline and celebrating on his way back to USC’s side of the field.
    — Ryan Kartje, Los Angeles Times, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Afroman went on to publish songs and music videos taunting the deputies, including one called Lemon Pound Cake that mocked the portly deputy for his apparent interest in the cake.
    — Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of taunt
Noun
  • Chances of encountering a shark in Southern California are higher in October, when warmer coastal waters attract both prey and juvenile sharks.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026
  • To give the episodes shape, each is broken up into several mini-narratives, such as a mother cheetah learning to adapt her hunting style to mountainous rocky terrain in order to catch prey for her hungry cubs.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of prey
Noun
  • The Trasks encounter a wide swath of citizens, haggling with sneaky cheats, exploiting innocent fools, and befriending big-hearted neighbors.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026
  • To protest in the street, to be arrested for attacking a police officer or vandalizing private property, or making a fool of yourself in any of a hundred different ways is valuable currency to anyone seeking status within an activist organization.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of fool
Noun
  • With a physician shortage projected to be 33% by 2033, the Health Technology Bill of 2025 aims to use AI to alleviate the growing demand for physicians.
    — Esha Desai, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • The aim is to help a variety of institutions gain insights into the origins of their collections, providing a basis for further actions.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of aim
Verb
  • Frances Staudt chose not to play against a biological male in a high school basketball game and said she gets harassed every day in her school's hallways because of her decision.
    — Matt Calkins OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Federal authorities on Thursday charged a Boston-area man with harassing Katie Miller, the conservative podcaster and wife of senior White House aide Stephen Miller, in a case that sparked a heated debate among prosecutors and within the FBI.
    — Jeremy Roebuck, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of harass

Browse Nearby Words

tardy
target
targeted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All