Other forms: targets, targeted, targeting
A target is the result you are expected to reach — a sales target, hit the target, miss the target, on target for the year. It is the standard word in business and government for a number somebody has to deliver.
The literal sense is the thing you aim at: a target on a range, a moving target. From it comes the sense of somebody being aimed at — the target of criticism, targeted by fraudsters. The verb means to direct something at a particular group: target young drivers, targeted advertising. Note that on target means on course to hit it, and a soft target is somebody chosen because they are easy rather than because they deserve it.
1nountargetA result somebody is expected to achieve.
“The team hit its target with a week to spare.”
synonyms: goal, objective
2nounobjectThe object aimed at.
“He hit the target four times out of six.”
3verbdirectTo direct something at a particular person or group.
“The campaign targets first-time buyers.”
4nounchosenSomebody or something chosen for attack or criticism.
“She became the target of a great deal of unpleasantness.”
Too few real examples of this word to estimate which sense is commonest.
target is a goal or thing aimed at.
Old French targette was a small shield, from a Germanic word meaning an edge or a rim. A target was the shield before it was the thing you shot at, and the transfer came from soldiers practising against old shields.
Proto-Indo-European
*derǵʰ- — fenced lot
Proto-Germanic
*targǭ — edge
Frankish
*targa — buckler
Middle French
targette
English, today
target
Built 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 {{m|de|
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA