target
[noun]
Synonyms:
- goal, aim, ambition, end, intention, mark, object, objective
- victim, butt, scapegoat

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Related Words: victim, fall guy, scapegoat, whipping boy

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English Thesaurus: aim, goal, target, objective, ambition, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. tar‧get¹ S2 W2 AC /ˈtɑːɡət, ˈtɑːɡɪt $ ˈtɑːr-/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: targette, from targe 'small shield']

1. AIM something that you are trying to achieve, such as a total, an amount, or a time Synonym : goal
sales/attainment/growth etc targets
demanding financial targets
target of
the target of a one-third reduction in road accidents
target for
Higher degrees in English are a target for foreign students.
There is no target date for completion of the new project.
The government may fail to meet (=achieve) its target of recycling 25% of domestic waste.
Jiang set annual growth targets of 8–9%.
on target (=likely to achieve a target)
The company says that growth of 10% is on target.

2. OBJECT OF ATTACK an object, person, or place that is deliberately chosen to be attacked
target for/of
Railway stations are prime targets (=very likely targets) for bombs.
easy/soft target
Cars without security devices are an easy target for the thief.

3. OBJECT OF AN ACTION the person or place that is most directly affected by an action, especially a bad one
target for/of
The area has become a prime target for supermarket development.
The country is a target of criticism for its human rights record.

4. SHOOTING something that you practise shooting at, especially a round board with circles on it:
The area is used by the army for target practice.

5. target audience/group/area etc a limited group, area etc that a plan, idea etc is aimed at:
Our target audience is men aged between 18 and 35.

6. target language the language that you are learning or that you are translating into

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. target² AC verb [transitive]

1. to make something have an effect on a particular limited group or area:
The advertisement was designed to target a mass audience.
target something on/at somebody/something
a new benefit targeted on low-income families
The programme is targeted at improving the health of women of all ages.

2. to aim something at a target
target something on/at somebody/something
The missiles are targeted at several key military sites.

3. to choose a particular person or place to do something to, especially to attack them or criticize them:
It’s clear that smaller, more vulnerable banks have been targeted.
He was targeted by terrorists for a second time last night.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

target
noun
I. sb/sth that you try to destroy, hurt, steal, etc.
ADJ. favourite, likely, natural, obvious, perfect, possible, potential, prime, suitable The prime minister is a favourite target of comedians.
easy, sitting, soft, tempting, vulnerable The stationary trucks were sitting targets for the enemy planes.
legitimate | intended | stationary | moving | ground | military | civilian, non-military | terrorist
VERB + TARGET aim at, attack, go for, shoot at | hit, reach (used of a missile) The bomb reached its intended target ten seconds later. | miss, overshoot The flare overshot its target and set light to a hotel.
destroy The missile is aimed specifically to destroy military targets.
track The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.
PREP. off ~ The missile veered way off target and landed in the sea.
on ~ Politically speaking, his jibes were right on target.
~ for an easy target for shoplifters

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

target
II. object that you shoot at
VERB + TARGET put up, set up The archers were setting up their targets.
aim at, shoot at | hit | miss | use sth as The boys used an old tree stump as a target.
TARGET + NOUN area | practice
PREP. off ~ Patton was just off target with a header.
on ~ His first shot was bang on target.
wide of the ~ The shot went wide of the target.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

target
III. result, person, etc. that you aim to reach
ADJ. achievable, attainable, low, modest, realistic | ambitious, demanding, difficult, high, tough, unrealistic She has always set herself very high targets.
impossible | clear | chief, key, main, major, primary, prime, principal | annual | immediate, initial | future, long-term, ultimate | attainment, economic, financial, growth, inflation, performance, production, profit, recruitment, sales, spending
VERB + TARGET set Managers must set targets that are realistic.
aim for Pupils should be given a target to aim for.
achieve, meet, reach | stay within in a desperate attempt to stay within budget targets
exceed The company pays bonuses to workers who exceed production targets.
fall short of
TARGET + NOUN audience, group, market | date to meet a target date of May 2002
figure, price, weight
PREP. above (a/the) ~ Sales so far this year are 20% above target.
off ~ These figures are way off target.
on ~ We are still right on target.
over (a/the) ~ Many wage settlements reached were over the original target of 4%.
towards (a/the) ~ We are working towards a target of twenty cars a week.
~ for setting new targets for growth

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

target
verb
ADV. carefully, deliberately a carefully targeted marketing campaign Children are deliberately targeted.
particularly, specifically
PREP. at The products are targeted at young people.
for This hospital is targeted for additional funding.
on Tax cuts should be targeted on the poor.
towards We target our services towards specific groups of people.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

target

meet a target (=achieve what you want to achieve)
The government wants to meet its target of building three million new homes by 2020.
reach/achieve/hit a target (=meet it)
They achieved their target with just days to spare.
set a target
The company has set ambitious business targets.
exceed a target (=achieve more than you wanted to)
We have exceeded our target of £200,000.
fall short of a target (=achieve less than you wanted to)
Car production at the plant has fallen short of its target by 5%.
ambitious/high
The targets they have set themselves are hugely ambitious.
modest (=not very high)
The Kyoto Protocol set fairly modest targets for reductions in greenhouse gases.
achievable/realistic
The target is achievable, but only by hard work.
a financial target
Both businesses exceeded their financial targets.
a sales target
I’m confident we will meet our sales target by the end of the year.
a growth target
The company’s growth targets have been achieved for the last three years.
a target date
There is no target date set for completion of the new project.
a target figure
The government has set a target figure of 6.2%
a prime target (=the most suitable or most likely to be chosen)
Sporting events could become a prime target for terrorists.
the main target
The rebel-held town is one of the main targets for U S troops.
an easy/soft target
Some criminals now regard churches as easy targets.
a sitting target (=someone who is easy to attack)
In the open, the soldiers are sitting targets.
sb’s intended target
The gunman missed his intended target.
a military target
The group insists that its bombs were directed against military targets.
a civilian target
The army denied it had attacked civilian targets.
a legitimate target (=one that it is fair to attack)
The rebels claimed that trains carrying soldiers are a legitimate target.
attack a target
They have attacked military targets such as army camps and airfields.
hit a target
Not every bomb hit its target.
miss a target
All of the missiles missed their target and no-one was killed.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

aim something you hope to achieve by doing something:
The main aim of the plan was to provide employment for local people.
goal something important that you hope to achieve in the future, even though it may take a long time:
The country can still achieve its goal of reducing poverty by a third.
target a particular amount or total that you want to achieve:
The company is on track to meet its target of increasing profits by 10%.
objective the specific thing that you are trying to achieve – used especially about things that have been officially discussed and agreed upon in business, politics etc:
Their main objective is to halt the flow of drugs.
We met to set the business objectives for the coming year.
ambition something that you very much want to achieve in your future career:
Her ambition was to go to law school and become an attorney.
Earlier this year, he achieved his ambition of competing in the Olympic Games.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲