VocabauraVOCABAURA

target

noun · verb

Simple meaning

The goal intended to be attained.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

tahrguht

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈtɑɹɡət

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. The goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable)

  2. A goal or objective.

  3. A person, place, or thing that is frequently attacked, criticized, or ridiculed.

  4. An object of criticism or ridicule.

  5. A person (or group of people) that a person or organization is trying to employ or to have as a customer, audience etc.

  6. A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile.

verb

  1. transitivefiguratively

    To aim for as an audience or demographic.

  2. transitive

    To aim something, especially a weapon, at (a target).

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A2 · Elementary
Frequency
Very Common
Typical Use
Everyday English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: The goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable)

Used this way, target is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • mark , more casual, better suited to speech than writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

Share your sentence

Write your own example sentence using “target”. We review each one before it appears.

Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Butt / pattern

target practice

Person (or group

target audiencetarget group

Small

target cell

Other combinations

target markettarget languagetarget areamoving target

Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.

Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • target acquisition systemnounCompound term

    A shipboard system for the detection and identification and location of a target with enough detail to permit effective weapon employment.

  • target areanounCompound term

    The location of the target that is to be hit.

  • target cellnounCompound term

    Any cell that has a specific receptor for an antigen or antibody or hormone or drug, or is the focus of contact by a virus or phagocyte or nerve fiber etc.

  • target companynounCompound term

    A company that has been chosen as attractive for takeover by a potential acquirer.

  • target languagenounCompound term

    The language into which a text written in another language is to be translated.

  • target organnounCompound term

    Organ intended to receive the therapeutic dose of a radioactive substance.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: goal intended to be attained (and which is believed to be attainable)

markInformalaim

Ask Vocabaura

Understand the word your way.

What Does It Mean Here?

Words can change meaning depending on context.

Use it yourself

Knowing “target” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.

Know the meaning? Practice using it in a real situation, free, no credits.

Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.