TARGET Synonyms: 157 Similar and Opposite Words

target 1 of 2

noun

ˈtär-gət

Definition of target

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

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Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in goal

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

target

2 of 2

verb

as in to taunt

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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 target

Noun

Still pushing for the roster, second-year wide receiver Andrew Armstrong drew the most targets on the night, turning eight chances into five receptions for a team-leading 54 yards. — Kansas City Star, 29 Aug. 2026 While the rendezvous target was deployed as planned and tracked by radar, Mission Control called the demo off when the pressure glitch occurred because the fuel cells were key to power Gemini 5 for its full 8-day mission. — Tariq Malik, Space.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Verb

In 2021 – in the midst of a diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain – Moroccan authorities allegedly ordered the use of Pegasus to target the phones of the Spanish Ministers of Foreign Affairs, the Interior, and Defense. — Miguel MacIas, NPR, 16 Aug. 2026 That can include things like using AI to analyze a company’s website to figure out who to target or deploying an AI agent to handle initial negotiation talks with a cyber extortion victim. — Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for target

Recent Examples of Synonyms for target

Noun

Four people with wounds were transported to Hennepin Healthcare to be treated for their injuries, where one of the victims died, Parten said Wednesday afternoon.

— Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 3 Sep. 2026
Prosecutors argued at trial that Shirilla intentionally drove into the building to end her toxic relationship with Russo and that Flanagan was an unintended victim who happened to be in the car.

— Michael Sinkewicz, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of victim

Noun

But that doesn’t mean eating before working out is always better overall, as meal timing can affect each body differently depending on one's goals.

— Daryl Austin, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026
One of the first focuses under the new corporate structure will be addressing cancer drug affordability, Shah said, with a goal of accelerating the adoption of lower-cost biosimilars, which are clinically equivalent drugs akin to generic drugs.

— Ian Thomas, CNBC, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of goal

Verb

Continue reading … -- POLITICS 'BAD LOOK' – Newsom's attack dog taunts Buttigieg over South Carolina visit as 2028 fight heats up.

— , FOXNews.com, 25 Aug. 2026
Cunningham’s highlights are hard fouls, a few 3-pointers, taunting, serving as a ring girl at a UFC fight, her sense of humor, and now commentary that has a Fox flair.

— Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of taunt

Noun

That allowed sea water to infiltrate freshwater tributaries across the peninsula, especially in lagoons and deltas where clam and mussel farms provided ample prey.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Sep. 2026
Dolphins are versatile predators that adjust their diet based on local prey availability, Callan said.

— Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of prey

Noun

But don’t let the cute style fool you—this look is super practical, too.

— Kayla Becker, Travel + Leisure, 29 Aug. 2026
However, reinventing Beethoven at the Bowl, doing so following Dudamel and with little rehearsal time, could easily become a fool’s errand.

— Classical Music Critic, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of fool

Verb

The United States, Russia, and China are now all able to harass one another’s satellites in ways that have real consequences.

— Jeffrey Lewis, Foreign Affairs, 1 Sep. 2026
And the American Indian Movement originated in Minneapolis in 1968, establishing community patrols to monitor police who were harassing Native American groups.

— Emily Witt, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of harass

Browse Nearby Words

tardy

target

targeted

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/target. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of target

noun

verb

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