targets 1 of 2

noun

plural of target
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

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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

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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

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targets

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of target
as in taunts

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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
Noun
Nonetheless, the costs of intercepting incoming munitions could prove particularly high if targets are engaged over populated areas, with drones, defensive munitions and falling debris all posing risks to people and property on the ground. — David Brennan, ABC News, 21 Aug. 2026 Chase owns the most targets and fantasy points scored over the first five years of a wide receiver’s career in NFL history. — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026 The president has made Chicago and Illinois top targets throughout his political career, and some of that rhetoric became reality with last fall’s militarized immigration enforcement campaign known as Operation Midway Blitz. — Dan Petrella, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026 Fine powder targets laser powder bed fusion systems, which typically use particles between 15 and 63 microns. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 20 Aug. 2026 Drone pilots back in Ukraine used the internet connection to guide most of the weapons to their targets. — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026 Prosecutors also described the killings of Tyrek Hill, 25, and Timothy Schmidt, 19, as spontaneous and cold-blooded, his targets picked randomly among the tens of thousands of partygoers that night. — Cristóbal Reyes, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026 If his routes rise in 2026, the underlying math says the targets should follow. — Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for targets
  1. victims
  2. jokes
  3. goals
  4. taunts
  5. prey
  6. fools
  7. purposes
  8. baits
Noun
  • Mines Minister Rufin Benam Beltoungou expressed condolences to victims’ families and warned miners about the dangers of unsafe mining practices, according to a statement posted by the ministry.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Investigators said one of the victims was taken to an area hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, while the other four were treated at the scene for injuries that were also non-life-threatening.
    — Richard Ramos, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of victims
Noun
  • Have each family member jot down a few happy thoughts, jokes, or silly notes on small slips of paper and place them in the jar.
    — Jodi Levine, Parents, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The two quickly became friends, spending the next two years cracking jokes at each other’s expense.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of jokes
Noun
  • The Moon enters Sagittarius and your 11th House of Friends, Groups, and Future Plans, making teamwork, invitations, and shared goals more active.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The 30-year-old surrendered 12 goals in his first four outings.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of goals
Verb
  • Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.
    — Darlene Superville, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • On the bridge, Sam taunts his brother before getting sucked out a hole in the observation window, graphically.
    — Keith Phipps, Vulture, 30 July 2026
Definition of taunts
Noun
  • This is because there is a tendency for some people to fall prey to cognitive offloading, in which humans lean heavily on AI to do their critical thinking.
    — Cheryl Johnson, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Women and feminized men, in Finckenstein’s telling, were the natural prey and proof of Ebel’s corruption.
    — Adam Gopnik, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of prey
Noun
  • This is an ignoble war making monsters and fools out of its participants, and against the uncontrollable weapons that are dragons, everyone’s resolve is crumbling.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 18 June 2026
  • This game makes fools of us all.
    — Nick Miller, New York Times, 16 June 2026
Definition of fools
Noun
  • But by funding facilities and administrative costs normally borne by the schools, states are freeing universities to use their own dollars for other purposes.
    — David A. Lieb, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The number of satellites in orbit now is around 18,000, but it’s expected to reach 100,000 in 2030, driven sharply by the growth of LEO networks for communications and other purposes.
    — IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of purposes
Verb
  • Specialty carp baits and tackle drive a large portion of the European recreational fishing industries sales.
    — Joe Cermele, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Officials will continue to investigate the area for further evidence of poison bait, and also stressed the importance of the community's cooperation to discourage and prevent the use of poison baits against wildlife.
    — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 20 Apr. 2026
Definition of baits

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targeting
targets
tariff
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Cite this Entry

“Targets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targets. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on targets

Nglish: Translation of targets for Spanish Speakers

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