often attributive
1
a
: a mark to shoot at
b
: a target marked by shots fired at it
c
: something or someone fired at or marked for attack
d
: a goal to be achieved
2
a
: an object of ridicule or criticism
b
: something or someone to be affected by an action or development
c
US law
: a person against whom a federal prosecutor has substantial evidence of involvement in criminal activity and who the prosecutor believes is likely to be indicted by a grand jury
The full extent of Iacobelli's ongoing cooperation is sealed in federal court, but prosecutors have identified additional targets and Iacobelli could spend less time in prison if his help proves substantial.—
Robert Snell
Robert Snell3
a
: the metallic surface (as of platinum or tungsten) upon which the stream of electrons within an X-ray tube is focused and from which the X-rays are emitted
b
: a body, surface, or material bombarded with nuclear particles or electrons
especially
: fluorescent material on which desired visual effects are produced in electronic devices (as in radar)
4
: a small round shield
targeted; targeting; targets
1
: to make a target of
targeted her for promotion
especially
: to set as a goal
2
: to direct or use toward a target
Synonyms
Examples of target in a Sentence
Noun
Our target amount for the fund-raiser is $2,500.
They set a target date of May 31.
Planes struck at key military targets.
Tourists are often easy targets for thieves.
Verb
drugs that target cancer cells
Recent Examples on the WebLouis Menand, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
One of the big targets became absentee ballots, a lot of misinformation about how they're processed about mass voter fraud.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2024
The pay is typically linked to the company’s performance—as with Ryanair.
O’Leary realistically expects to hit the profit target by the 2025 fiscal year as Ryanair hopes to receive 200 million passengers between April and next March.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 29 Apr. 2024
Any warrants would require approval from a panel of judges and would not necessarily result in a trial or even the targets’ immediate arrest.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2024
Pope’s next transfer target is Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney, who is scheduled to visit campus this weekend.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024
Here are the pros and cons of their three options regarding targets for Brock Purdy in 2024 and beyond:
KEEPING ALL THREE
Pro: Imagine the things Shanahan could do with shifts and motions adding Pearsall to the mix.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Yet so far this year, the index has remained stuck above the central bank’s target rate.
—Christopher Rugaber, Quartz, 26 Apr. 2024
Fonda said the movement’s target audience was not politicians but everyday people.
—TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
Graham Kates, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2024
The capstone of this program, advisers say, would be a massive deportation operation that would target millions of people.
—Eric Cortellessa / Palm Beach, TIME, 30 Apr. 2024
Green Energy Park Piaui is the company's first hydrogen production plant, targeting 10.8 GW of electrolyzer capacity when fully built.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2024
Naloxone is just one drug the Newsom administration is targeting.
—Adam Beam, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024
This 18-month program would target families 18-25 with children under the age of 5.
—Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 29 Apr. 2024
On college campuses, and in communities across the country, Jews have felt targeted, threatened, and frightened.
—USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2024
She was asked whether her family is worried if a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, to further target Hamas fighters, could threaten her uncle's safety.
—Abc News, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2024
Others have targeted Amazon and Google for their $1.2-billion artificial intelligence and cloud-computing services contract with the Israeli government.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2024
Noun
McCarthyism went after individuals for their political beliefs; today, the targets are the curriculum and the classroom, the very bones of the educational system.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2024
One of the big targets became absentee ballots, a lot of misinformation about how they're processed about mass voter fraud.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 29 Apr. 2024
The pay is typically linked to the company’s performance—as with Ryanair.
O’Leary realistically expects to hit the profit target by the 2025 fiscal year as Ryanair hopes to receive 200 million passengers between April and next March.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 29 Apr. 2024
Any warrants would require approval from a panel of judges and would not necessarily result in a trial or even the targets’ immediate arrest.
—Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2024
Pope’s next transfer target is Saint Mary’s guard Aidan Mahaney, who is scheduled to visit campus this weekend.
—Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2024
Here are the pros and cons of their three options regarding targets for Brock Purdy in 2024 and beyond:
KEEPING ALL THREE
Pro: Imagine the things Shanahan could do with shifts and motions adding Pearsall to the mix.
—Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 26 Apr. 2024
Yet so far this year, the index has remained stuck above the central bank’s target rate.
—Christopher Rugaber, Quartz, 26 Apr. 2024
Fonda said the movement’s target audience was not politicians but everyday people.
—TIME, 25 Apr. 2024
Verb
Prosecutors from Bragg's office filed a motion urging the judge to find Trump in contempt over 10 posts targeting Michael Cohen, Stormy Daniels and others.
—Graham Kates, CBS News, 30 Apr. 2024
The capstone of this program, advisers say, would be a massive deportation operation that would target millions of people.
—Eric Cortellessa / Palm Beach, TIME, 30 Apr. 2024
Green Energy Park Piaui is the company's first hydrogen production plant, targeting 10.8 GW of electrolyzer capacity when fully built.
—Kansas City Star, 29 Apr. 2024
Naloxone is just one drug the Newsom administration is targeting.
—Adam Beam, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2024
This 18-month program would target families 18-25 with children under the age of 5.
—Letters To The Editor, Orange County Register, 29 Apr. 2024
On college campuses, and in communities across the country, Jews have felt targeted, threatened, and frightened.
—USA TODAY, 28 Apr. 2024
She was asked whether her family is worried if a potential Israeli invasion of the Gaza city of Rafah, to further target Hamas fighters, could threaten her uncle's safety.
—Abc News, ABC News, 28 Apr. 2024
Others have targeted Amazon and Google for their $1.2-billion artificial intelligence and cloud-computing services contract with the Israeli government.
—Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'target.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near target
Cite this Entry
“Target.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/target. Accessed 3 May. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
target
noun
tar·get
ˈtär-gət 
1
: something to be affected by an action or development
specifically
: an organ, part, or tissue that is affected by the action of a hormone
2
a
: the metallic surface usually of platinum or tungsten upon which the stream of electrons within an X-ray tube is focused and from which the X-rays are emitted
b
: a body, surface, or material bombarded with nuclear particles or electrons
3
: the thought or object that is to be recognized (as by telepathy) or affected (as by psychokinesis) in a parapsychological experiment
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