Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: targette, from targe 'small shield'

target

1 noun
     
Related topics: Sport, Military
tar‧get1 S3 W2 [countable]
1

aim

something that you are trying to achieve, such as a total, an amount, or a time [= 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

PM 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

DS 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

S 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
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
Dictionary pictures of the day
Do you know what each of these is called?
What is the word for picture 1? What is the word for picture 2? What is the word for picture 3? What is the word for picture 4?
Click on any of the pictures above to find out what it is called.

Explore our topic dictionary

Browse the dictionary