# target

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈtɑː.ɡɪt/ · frequency rank #1,619

## Definitions
1. A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile.
2. A goal or objective.
3. An object of criticism or ridicule.
4. A person, place, or thing that is frequently attacked, criticized, or ridiculed.
5. A kind of shield:
6. A kind of shield:
7. A kind of shield:
8. The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark.
9. The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling staff.
10. A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever to show its position, or for use as a signal.
11. the number of runs that the side batting last needs to score in the final innings in order to win
12. The tenor of a metaphor.
13. The codomain of a function; the object at which a morphism points.
14. The translated version of a document, or the language into which translation occurs.
15. A person (or group of people) that a person or organization is trying to employ or to have as a customer, audience etc.
16. A thin cut; a slice; specifically, of lamb, a piece consisting of the neck and breast joints.
17. A tassel or pendant.
18. A shred; a tatter.

## Etymology
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”).

## Easily confused with
- **tart** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/target-vs-tart)
- **tarot** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/target-vs-tarot)
- **taught** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/target-vs-taught)
- **turret** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/target-vs-turret)
- **targeted** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/target-vs-targeted)
- **tarek** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tarek-vs-target)
- **tablet** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tablet-vs-target)
- **tagged** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tagged-vs-target)
- **tangent** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/tangent-vs-target)

## Common misspellings (9)
`atrget`, `tagret`, `taregt`, `targett`, `targget`, `targte`, `tarrget`, `traget`, `ttarget`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/target