Word of the Day

: February 22, 2021

retarget

verb \ree-TAHR-gut\

What It Means

: to direct (something) toward a different target

retarget in Context

"The beauty of retargeting is that computers do all the work. They figure out who you need to retarget and serve them the ad. If a person viewed your webpage but left without buying your product, donating to your charity, signing up for your newsletter, or doing whatever it is you need them to do, retargeting ads are a great way to direct them back to your site so you can close the deal." — Entrepreneur, 4 June 2020

"NASA is retargeting launch of the next SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft for November 14 amid ongoing reviews of recent engine problems with SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, the space agency announced Monday." — William Harwood, CBS News, 26 Oct. 2020

Did You Know?

The verb retarget first appeared in 20th-century English with the basic meaning "to direct toward a different target." In digital advertising, retargeting has to do with directing people who have left your website back to the site by displaying ads that remind them of your site on other sites they subsequently visit. The base word target is from the early French noun targe, which was used for a light shield carried especially by footmen and archers. French targette, a diminutive form of targe, was taken into English as target in the early 15th century with its French sense. In the 18th century, the word acquired the extended sense of "a shieldlike object to shoot at for practice." In the following century, the figurative senses referring to a thing or person that is marked for attack (especially of ridicule or criticism) begin to develop. The sense of "a goal to be achieved" originated in the 20th century, often in connection with a quantity or date (as in "production targets" or "target dates").