targeting

Definition of targetingnext
present participle of target

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of targeting Taylor, a fluid 6-foot-5, is already the Jets’ second-best receiver and plays with a quarterback, Justin Fields, who is prone to targeting tight ends — fifth-highest tight end target rate since 2021, and Cole Kmet had a career-high 719 yards with Fields as his quarterback in 2023. Jacob Robinson, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for targeting
Verb
  • As a whole, Minnesota’s lengthy, harassing defense is causing Denver issues.
    Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 24 Apr. 2026
  • Prosecutors accused 37-year-old James Strahler of creating more than 700 non-consensual images and videos of adult women and minors, harassing the women with phone calls, messages and online postings.
    Greta Cross, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Myrsiades said Hennessey spotted a white Mercedes SUV linked to a suspect accused of making bomb threats and taunting local law enforcement agencies.
    Madeleine Wright, CBS News, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Then, guards who worked for the contractor Critical Response Strategies began taunting detainees, threatening to enter the cage where immigrants were held.
    Garrett Shanley, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • But the man hung himself, most likely due to Duncan tormenting him relentlessly like a jock pranking a nerd in an ‘80s campus comedy.
    Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026
  • With the help of journalist Gerrick Kennedy, the memoir details Brandy's meteoric rise to fame as a young teen while volleying ambition, exhaustion and self-doubt, moving through a predatory and tormenting industry and being misunderstood in the public eye.
    Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 31 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Diners aren’t baiting first-bite TikTok reaction shots.
    Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 23 Apr. 2026
  • That’s the kind of trade the Stars are happy to make after getting even in this first-round series, 1-1, by baiting the Wild to get even with them in pre- and post-whistle shenanigans.
    Joe Smith, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Tiny eye-biting flies are swarming all over the San Gabriel Valley and pestering residents.
    Nicole Comstock, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
  • In a game where the Stars smashed the Oilers, Hryckowian was pestering Edmonton players all night en route to drawing four penalties.
    R.J. Coyle, Dallas Morning News, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Although pest control companies offer lethal solutions such as carpenter bee traps or chemical treatments, the best way to keep carpenter bees from bugging you is using stained, sealed, varnished or treated wood in building projects.
    Sarah Linn April 24, Sacbee.com, 24 Apr. 2026
  • So, all the things people were yelling about with Southwest weren’t bugging me.
    Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Eventually, Bournemouth were so sick of Sadiki’s hassling that substitute Lewis Cook jutted an elbow at him.
    Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • Morgan Rogers fired wide from the ensuing chance, yet the sweeping move — teasing passes before going through the gears as play progressed upfield — was what Villa often desire, but can sometime lack.
    Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2026
  • The footage, revealed on April 22, adopts a dark and scary tone, teasing a body horror film that will be a total departure from anything fans have seen from the DC Universe so far.
    Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Targeting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/targeting. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on targeting

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster