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• on-target
  on-target

  adjective

  correct, accurate, or adhering closely to an anticipated outcome.
• on target
  on target

  Completely accurate, wholly valid, as in Our cost estimates were right on target, or His criticisms were on target. This seemingly old expression dates only from the mid-1900s, and the colloquial use of target for a goal one wishes to achieve dates from about 1940.

on-target

American  

[on-tahr-git, awn-] / ˈɒnˈtɑr gɪt, ˈɔn- /

adjective

1. correct, accurate, or adhering closely to an anticipated outcome.

   an on-target forecast for the weekend weather.

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on target Idioms  

1. Completely accurate, wholly valid, as in Our cost estimates were right on target, or His criticisms were on target. This seemingly old expression dates only from the mid-1900s, and the colloquial use of target for a goal one wishes to achieve dates from about 1940.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

on-target on target

McGregor's superb effort was Celtic's first on-target effort of the entire game and came beyond the four minutes of added-on time indicated by the match officials.

From Barron's ● Nov. 22, 2025

From there, Kaj delivered an on-target pitch/roll to Betts, who brought the ball back to his son.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2025

Last time out, a 3-1 defeat at rivals Bournemouth, Saints had almost 60% possession but only created three on-target chances.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2024

"Bispecifics in general are an important technology that offer significant advantages in on-target anticancer potency," he says.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 4, 2024

I would kick that red ball far into the outfield: hard, and on-target.

From "Merci Suárez Changes Gears" by Meg Medina

Argentina’s physical approach, which saw them finish with all those fouls and zero shots on target, didn’t win them many friends.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

He was a key figure in the Spanish defence that only conceded once all tournament and restricted Argentina to just two shots in the final with none on target.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

This was the first time he had failed to score at the World Cup and, by the time he was substituted in extra-time, he had failed to register a single shot on target.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026

After a dominant victory in Boston, in which France had 22 attempts compared to only five from Morocco, who had their only shot on target in the 83rd minute, Wright remained impressed.

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

Michael was smartly on target as far as she could tell.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Related Words

• clear-cut
• definite
• definitive
• different
• distinct
• exact
• explicit
• individual
• limited
• peculiar
• precise
• special
• specialized
• unambiguous
• unequivocal
• unique