See Also: Target / Target 21 / T.a.R.G.E.T. - Blackjack(gambling)
Target(money)
On Target(money)
Target(finance)
target(1)(dictionary)
target(2)(dictionary)
Target(medicine)
Target firm(money)
Target investment mix(money)
Target zones(money)

target(1) (iou)



target noun. LME.
[Dim. of TARGE noun: see -ET1.]
A light round shield or buckler; a small targe. arch. LME.
A thing resembling a shield in shape; spec. (a) Scot. an ornament of precious metal, often jewelled, worn esp. in a head-dress; (b) a joint of lamb comprising the neck and breast; the fore-quarter without the shoulder; (c) US a disc-shaped indicating device on a railway track switch, actuated mechanically to indicate the switch's position. E16.
A circular or rectangular object, marked with concentric circles, fired or aimed at for shooting practice. Also, any object, person, or point, fired or aimed at (lit. & fig.); a place or object selected for military attack; the part of the body at which a boxer's or fencer's attack is directed. M18.
R. V. Jones I had never shot a fox, a difficult target for a pistol. S. Radley A collection like this makes your house an obvious target for burglars. New Scientist A tiny missile..that carries its own radar system to home in on a target.
b. A person who or thing which becomes the object of general abuse, criticism, scorn, etc. M18.
E. Segal The targets of their wit were actually sitting in the theater as they were insulted.
c. A shooting match; the score made at such a match. Now rare. E19.
d. Physics. The object or material at which a beam of particles is directed, as in a cathode-ray tube or particle accelerator. E20.
e. Biology & Medicine. A region in a cell or tissue which is especially sensitive to radiation. M20.
f. An objective, esp. a minimum amount set in fund-raising; a result aimed at; something to be attained; a goal which one strives to achieve. M20.
on target: see ON preposition.
R. Berthoud Henry had set himself a target of thirty sculptures a year.
g. A person who is the object of a security or espionage operation, esp. one kept under surveillance as a suspected spy. Orig. US. M20.
Attrib. & comb.: In the senses 'of or pertaining to shooting or shooting practice', as target pistol, target-practice, target-range, target-rifle, etc., 'designating an object of attack', as target area, target-ship, etc., 'designating a particular group at which a publication, advertising, propaganda, etc., is aimed', as target audience, target group, target population, etc., 'by which a desired goal is specified', as target date, target figure, target output, target price, etc. Special combs., as target cell Biology & Medicine an abnormal form of red blood cell which appears as a dark ring surrounding a dark central spot, typical of certain kinds of anaemia; target dialect the variety of a language learned as a second dialect; target indicator an object, as a flare, dropped in order to illuminate or delimit a target for aerial bombing; target language (a) the language into which a text etc. is translated; (b) a foreign language which a person intends to learn or acquire; target man (a) a man armed with a target or shield; (b) US a signal-man who operates signalling targets on a railway track; (c) (Football & Hockey etc.) a forward used in central positions to whom other players direct long passes, (in football usu. to the forward's head); target organ Biology an organ which responds to a particular hormone or hormones; target pin Archery a mark on a bow used like the sight on a gun; target program Computing = object program s.v. OBJECT noun; target-rich adjective (Military, orig. & chiefly US) having many sites regarded as potential targets for military or terrorist attack; target theory Biology & Medicine the theory proposing the existence of targets (sense 3e above); target tissue Biology a tissue which responds to a particular hormone or hormones; target-tug an aircraft for towing targets used in aerial shooting practice.