# target

Pronunciation: US say "TAR-git" /ˈtɑɹɡɪt/; say "TAH-git" UK /ˈtɑːɡɪt/, AUS /ˈtɐːɡɪt/

## Noun

1. A person, place, or thing that is attacked or chosen to be attacked, or that is criticized or made fun of.
   - Simple: Someone or something that people attack, plan to attack, or criticize or laugh at.
   - _The mayor became a frequent target of criticism after the budget cuts._
   - _Celebrities are often targets for online ridicule._
2. A mark or object set up to shoot at, used for practice or to test a weapon's accuracy or a projectile's force.
   - Simple: An object you shoot at to practice aiming or to test a weapon.
   - _Each archer aimed at a distant target marked with colored rings._
   - _The firing range had several targets placed at different distances._
3. A goal or objective that someone is trying to reach.
   - Simple: Something you are trying to reach or achieve.
   - _The charity set an ambitious fundraising target for the year._
   - _Managers reviewed their quarterly targets during the meeting._
6. A person or group that a person or organization is trying to hire or to attract as customers or an audience.
   - Simple: A person or group someone wants to hire or attract as customers or an audience.
   - _The magazine's target is busy professionals in their thirties._
   - _Recruiters identified their targets before reaching out with offers._
10. The runs required for victory by the team batting in the last innings of a cricket match.
   - Simple: In cricket, the number of runs a team must score to win.
   - _Australia set a target of 280 for the visitors to chase._
   - _With two overs remaining, the target looked out of reach._

## Verb

4. To choose a person, group, or thing and direct an attack, criticism, or some particular action or effect at it.
   - Simple: To choose a person, group, or thing to attack, criticize, or do something to.
   - _Critics target the mayor whenever the buses run late._
   - _The drug targets cancer cells while leaving healthy tissue alone._
5. To direct a product, message, or campaign at a particular audience or demographic.
   - Simple: To aim a product or message at a certain group of people.
   - _The campaign targeted first-time voters in rural areas._
   - _Streaming services target younger viewers with original shows._
7. To aim for a specific result, amount, or level, making it the goal to be achieved.
   - Simple: To choose a result, number, or level as the goal you want to reach.
   - _Many central banks target an inflation rate of around two percent._
   - _The company has targeted a 10 percent cut in costs by next year._
8. To aim something, especially a weapon, at a particular point or person.
   - Simple: To aim something, especially a weapon, at a particular person, place, or thing.
   - _The gunner targeted the bridge moments before the order to fire._
   - _Pilots target enemy positions using laser guidance systems._
9. To produce program code suitable for a particular system or platform.
   - Simple: To make computer code that will work on a certain device or system.
   - _The build system targets several operating systems from one codebase._
   - _Developers chose to target the ARM architecture for better battery life._

## Noun

11. A thin cut or slice of meat; specifically, a piece of lamb consisting of the neck and breast joints. *(dated, UK)*
   - Simple: A thin cut of meat, especially a piece of lamb from the neck and chest.
12. A large shield, bigger than the modern buckler and similar in form to the Roman scutum. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A large shield like those Roman soldiers carried, bigger than a small hand-held shield.
13. A tassel or pendant ornament. *(obsolete, Scotland)*
   - Simple: A small thing that hangs down as a decoration.
14. A shred or tatter; a torn strip. *(obsolete, Scotland)*
   - Simple: A torn strip or ragged piece of cloth.

## Other meanings

- (noun) In translation studies, the translated version of a document, or the language into which a text is translated.
- (noun) In mathematics, the codomain of a function; the object that a morphism points to.
- (noun) The tenor of a metaphor: the subject to which the figurative image is applied.
- (noun) The pattern or arrangement formed by a marksman's series of hits on a butt or mark.
- (noun) A small shield or buckler carried as a defensive weapon in war.
- (noun) A conspicuous disk attached to a railroad switch lever to indicate its position or serve as a signal.
- (noun) The sliding crosspiece, or vane, that moves along a surveyor's leveling staff.
- (noun) In heraldry, a bearing representing a buckler.

## Origin

From Middle French "targette," a diminutive of "targe" (light shield), which came through Old French from Frankish *targa (buckler). This is related to Old Norse "targa" (small round shield) and Old English "targe," going back to Proto-Germanic *targǭ (edge) and perhaps ultimately to Proto-Indo-European *derǵʰ- (fenced lot).

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/target (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).