target

American  

[tahr-git] / ˈtɑr gɪt /

noun

targets plural

1. an object, usually marked with concentric circles, to be aimed at in shooting practice or contests.

2. any object used for this purpose.

3. anything fired at.

4. a goal to be reached.

   Synonyms:

   purpose, end, aim

5. an object of abuse, scorn, derision, etc.; butt.

6. Fencing. the portion of a fencer's body where a touch can be scored.

7. a disk-shaped signal, as at a railroad switch, indicating the position of a switch.

8. Surveying.

   1. the sliding sight on a leveling rod.

   2. any marker on which sights are taken.

9. a small shield, usually round, carried by a foot soldier; buckler.

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adjective

1. that is or may be a target or goal.

   The target group consisted of college graduates who earned more than $50,000 a year.

verb (used with object)

targets, present (3rd person singular) targeted, past participle, past targeting present participle

1. to use, set up, or designate as a target or goal.

2. to direct toward a target.

   The new warheads can be targeted with great precision.

3. to make a target of (an object, person, city, etc.) for attack or bombardment.

verb phrase

1. target (in) on to establish or use as a target or goal.

   The club is targeting on September for the move to larger quarters.

idioms

1. on target,

   1. properly aimed or on the right course toward a target.

   2. accurate, correct, or valid.

      Their description of the event was on target.

   3. filling or meeting a requirement or expectations.

      The amount of supplies we took was right on target.

target British  

/ ˈtɑːɡɪt /

noun

1. 1. an object or area at which an archer or marksman aims, usually a round flat surface marked with concentric rings

   2. ( as modifier )

      target practice

2. 1. any point or area aimed at; the object of an attack or a takeover bid

   2. ( as modifier )

      target area

      target company

3. a fixed goal or objective

   the target for the appeal is £10 000

4. a person or thing at which an action or remark is directed or the object of a person's feelings

   a target for the teacher's sarcasm

5. a joint of lamb consisting of the breast and neck

6. surveying a marker on which sights are taken, such as the sliding marker on a levelling staff

7. (formerly) a small round shield

8. physics electronics

   1. a substance, object, or system subjected to bombardment by electrons or other particles, or to irradiation

   2. an electrode in a television camera tube whose surface, on which image information is stored, is scanned by the electron beam

9. electronics an object to be detected by the reflection of a radar or sonar signal, etc

10. on the correct course to meet a target or objective

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verb

1. to make a target of

2. to direct or aim

   to target benefits at those most in need

target More Idioms  

1. see on target; sitting duck (target).

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• targetable
  adjective
• targetless
  adjective
• untargetable
  adjective
• untargeted
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• targets
  plural

Participles

• targeting
  present
• targeted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• target
  simple
• targets
  simple
• have targeted
  perfect
• has targeted
  perfect
• am targeting
  progressive
• are targeting
  progressive
• is targeting
  progressive
• have been targeting
  perfect progressive
• has been targeting
  perfect progressive

Past

• targeted
  simple
• had targeted
  perfect
• was targeting
  progressive
• were targeting
  progressive
• had been targeting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will target
  simple
• will have targeted
  perfect
• will be targeting
  progressive
• will have been targeting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of target

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun, from Middle French targuete, variant of targete “small shield” see targe, -et

Explanation

A target is something to shoot at, either real or figurative. If you're an archer, you're aiming for the bull's-eye on the target. If you're selling cars for a living, then you likely have a sales target you need to hit. You can hit a target, which is usually a good thing, or, less happily, you can be a target, such as a target of ridicule when you wear that goofy Swiss cheese hat and you aren't even from Wisconsin. As a marketing ploy, you could target Green Bay Packer season ticket holders when you decide to unload that hat. You might find a buyer among them, someone who wouldn't worry about being a target for those who object to silly hats.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

target targets targeted targeting

The brokerage initiates coverage of the stock with a buy rating and a target price of 3,500.00 rupiah.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Citi has a neutral rating and A$171.00 target on Rio.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

VF expects full-year revenue to grow by at least 2% on a constant-currency basis, up from its previous target of 1% to 2%.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Bausch + Lomb increased its full-year revenue target by $20 million to a range of $5.44 billion to $5.54 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Old Annabelle had wandered off from the herd, and now she made an easy target.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

The official declined to comment on the specific targets of the missiles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Depositions among the newly released court records also provided insight into what prompted agents to approach potential targets for arrest.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

Most forfeiture targets have none of those advantages, which is why the overwhelming majority of forfeitures are never contested at all.

From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026

These weapons allow the US to conduct precision strikes against hardened military targets, such as command bunkers or fortified military facilities, without putting manned aircraft in harm's way.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026

Heavy artillery, moved to the front by rail and tractor and set up on reinforced beds, could demolish targets more than twenty-five miles away.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

“Clearly, with Saudi oil infrastructure increasingly targeted, the risk of more prolonged supply disruptions grows.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

“We’re told to assist with targeted enforcement ... That is not target enforcement.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

The share fall shouldn’t detract from a record backlog of 6 billion euros, the French industrial-gases company’s pricing power or its ability to deliver the targeted margin improvement, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Meanwhile, in Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said more than 390 Ukrainian drones had targeted the region between 20:30 on Monday and 06:30 on Tuesday local time, and that most had been intercepted by air defences.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

“You’ve gone too far. You’ve attacked a Queen Mother, and you’ve targeted two misplaced children who accidentally found their way here. How would Nyame feel about this?”

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

The tax went into effect July 1, targeting second homes worth $5 million or more, and is estimated to raise at least $500 million a year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Chelsea are targeting deals for Maxence Lacroix, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson - and the ages of the experienced trio seem to signal a major change in transfer tactics from the Blues.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

With multiple firms offering ETFs with leveraged strategies targeting the same single stocks, the competition for assets can leave some funds struggling to gain traction, putting them at risk of shutting down.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026

"This Nvidia employee was identified as a person involved in the case after investigators analysed the relevant evidence following the previous round of searches targeting Super Micro," the source told AFP.

From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026

Such as, “This cawwot is a topeedo—watch!” as he made the vegetable plow a path through the gravy on his plate before targeting his mouth.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Related Words

• aim
• goal
• mark
• object
• objective