target
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target
- /ˈtɑː.ɡɪt/ UK
- [ˈtʰɑː.ɡɪt] UK
- [ˈtʰɑː.ɡɪt̚] UK
- /ˈtɑɹ.ɡɪt/ Canada, US
- [ˈtʰɑɹ.ɡɪt] Canada, US
- [ˈtʰɑɹ.ɡɪt̚] Canada, US
- /ˈtɐː.ɡɪt/ Australia
- [ˈtʰɐː.ɡɪt] Australia
- [ˈtʰɐː.ɡɪt̚] Australia
- /ˈtɐː.ɡət/ New Zealand
- [ˈtʰɐː.ɡət] New Zealand
- [ˈtʰɐː.ɡət̚] New Zealand
- /ʈɑ(r).ɡɛʈ/ South Asia
- /-dʒɛʈ/ South Asia
Rhymes with -ɑː(ɹ)ɡɪt
Where it comes from
From Middle French targette, targuete, diminutive of targe (“light shield”), from Old French, from Frankish *targa (“buckler”), akin to Old Norse targa (“small round shield”) (whence also Old English targe, targa (“shield”)) from Proto-Germanic *targǭ (“edge”), from Proto-Indo-European *derǵʰ- (“fenced lot”). Akin to Old High German zarga (“side wall, rim”) (German Zarge (“frame”)), Spanish tarjeta (“card”).
noun targets
- A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile. Take careful aim at the target.
- A goal or objective. Private-equity nabobs bristle at being dubbed mere financiers.[…]Much of their pleading is public-relations bluster. Clever financial ploys are what have made billionaires of the industry’s veterans. “Operational improvement” in a portfolio company has often meant little more than promising colossal
- An object of criticism or ridicule.
- A person, place, or thing that is frequently attacked, criticized, or ridiculed.
- A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive weapon in war. These four came all afront, and mainly thrust at me. I made me no more ado but took all their seven points in my target, thus.
- A shield resembling the Roman scutum, larger than the modern buckler. The Target (x) or Buckler (y) was carried by the heavy armed foot, it anſwered to the ſcutum of the Romans; its form was ſometimes that of a rectangular parallelogram, but more commonly had its bottom rounded off; it was generally convex, being curved in its breadth.
- A bearing representing a buckler. The fourth field is also party per pale, and for the dutchy of Genevois, contains chequered Or and azure: The sinister for the dutchy of Montserat, a target, gules. The point Or is a black eagle of the county of Maurienne.
- The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark. He made a good target.
- The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling staff.
- A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever to show its position, or for use as a signal.
- the number of runs that the side batting last needs to score in the final innings in order to win
- The tenor of a metaphor.
- The codomain of a function; the object at which a morphism points. Coordinate term: source
-
The translated version of a document, or the language into which translation occurs.
Do you charge by source or target?
Similar: target language
- A person (or group of people) that a person or organization is trying to employ or to have as a customer, audience etc. Gary Cahill, a target for Arsenal and Tottenham before the transfer window closed, put England ahead early on and Rooney was on target twice before the interval as the early hostility of the Bulgarian supporters was swiftly subdued.
- A thin cut; a slice; specifically, of lamb, a piece consisting of the neck and breast joints.
-
A tassel or pendant.
Similar: targe
- A shred; a tatter.
- A system or platform for which software is developed.
verb targets · targeting · targetting · targeted · targetted
- To aim something, especially a weapon, at (a target).
- To aim for as an audience or demographic. The advertising campaign targeted older women.
- To produce code suitable for. This cross-platform compiler can target any of several processors.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: aim, place, mark, quarry, prey, butt, point, object, objective, fair game, direct, target area, aiming, aimed, tackle, wedge
Translations
Every language
noun butt or mark to shoot at
| Español | blanco, diana, objetivo, hito, escopo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 과녁 gwanyeok, 표적 pyojeok, 타깃 tagit, 타겟 taget |
| 日本語 | 標的 hyōteki, 的 mato, ターゲット tāgetto, 的 ikuha, 的 yukuha |
| 中文 | 標的 /标的 biāodì, 靶子 bǎzi |
| हिन्दी | निशाना niśānā |
| Kiswahili | lengwa |
| Português | alvo |
| Français | cible |
| Deutsch | Zielscheibe, Schießscheibe, Ziel |
| Italiano | bersaglio |
| Ελληνικά | στόχος stóchos |
| Română | țintă |
| Русский | мише́нь mišénʹ, цель celʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | bia |
| العربية | دَرِيئَة darīʔa, نِيشَان nīšān |
| עברית | מַטָּרָה matará |
noun goal or objective
| Español | meta, target |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 목표 mokpyo, 타겟 taget, 타깃 tagit, 목적 mokjeok |
| 日本語 | 目標 mokuhyō, 的 mato, ターゲット tāgetto, 目的 mokuteki |
| 中文 | 目標 /目标 mùbiāo, 目的 mùdì |
| हिन्दी | निशाना niśānā, हदफ़ hadaf |
| Português | objetivo |
| Français | cible, objectif, but |
| Deutsch | Ziel |
| Italiano | obiettivo |
| Ελληνικά | στόχος stóchos, σκοπός skopós |
| Română | țel, scop, obiectiv |
| Русский | цель celʹ, наме́рение namérenije |
| Tiếng Việt | mục tiêu |
| العربية | هَدَف hadaf, مَرْمًى marman |
noun shield resembling the Roman scutum
| Kiswahili | lengwa |
|---|
verb to aim something (especially a weapon) at a target
| Español | encañonar, asestar, elegir como objetivo, tener como objetivo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 겨누다 gyeonuda |
| 中文 | 瞄准 miáozhǔn, 瞄準 /瞄准 miáozhǔn, 針對 /针对 zhēnduì |
| Kiswahili | lengwa |
| Português | mirar |
| Français | cibler, viser |
| Deutsch | zielen |
| Ελληνικά | στοχεύω stochévo |
| Română | ținti, ochi |
| Русский | це́литься célitʹsja, прице́литься pricélitʹsja, наце́литься nacélitʹsja, направля́ть napravljátʹ, напра́вить naprávitʹ |
| العربية | يَسْتَهْدِفُ yastahdifu |
verb to aim for as an audience or demographic
| Español | ir dirigido a |
|---|---|
| Português | direcionar |
| Français | cibler |
Talk about this word "target." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/target. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. target. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/target "target." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/target.Cite this
@misc{target_2026,
title = {target},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/target},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
