释义 |
tar·get I. \ˈtärgə̇t\ noun (-s) Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French targette, diminutive of Old French targe light shield, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German zarga frame, border, Old Norse targa shield; probably akin to Middle Irish dremm group of people, Breton dramm bundle, Armenian trc̣ak bundle of wood, and perhaps to Greek drassesthai to grasp 1. a. : a small circular shield or buckler b. : such a target or its replica used as a heraldic device 2. a. : a butt or mark to shoot at in practice or competition or for testing the accuracy of a firearm or the force of a projectile: as (1) : a series of concentric circles of specified size marked on a paper or wooden surface with a bull's-eye at the center (2) : a circular mat of straw four feet in diameter covered by a canvas face painted with five concentric circles and mounted on a tripodal stand for use in archery — see prince's reckoning b. (1) : a target marked or penetrated by the shots fired at it to make a score (2) : the score made in target shooting < shot the high target for the day > (3) : clay pigeon (4) : the section or part of a person or animal regarded as the object to be hit (as in hunting or fencing) c. : something (as an airplane or ship, installation or area) that is or may be fired at as a military objective < directly over the target … gave the order to drop the ash cans and a floating flare to mark the point of attack — John Hersey > < must be used to obtain the required results upon hostile targets — H.P.Rand > 3. : something that is or may be aimed at: as a. : a person or thing that is made the object of derogatory remarks or critical comment < the colonists … made him their chief target of scorn — Stanley Pargellis > < was making herself a target for ridicule — Virginia Woolf > < in some ways the textbook makes an even more satisfactory target than the teacher — V.M.Rogers > < his social criticism … remains primarily moral — its principal target is human nature — C.J.Rolo > b. : a person or thing that is made the object of an action, political movement, or other development designed usually to affect or change < investors … might become a favored target for unfair action on the part of foreign governments — M.A.Heilperin > < might direct such investigations to targets like corruption or inefficiency — Christopher Serpell > < this area was the constant target of enemy propaganda — H.I.Poleman > < the peninsula … is not an easy target for economic development — Marion Wilhelm > c. : a goal (as a date, figure, production level, or quota) set or proposed for achievement < with the target for land collection set at 50 million acres by 1957 — Vera M. Dean > < the target of the air route … was 85,000 tons per month — G.C.Marshall > < the week-end adjournment target was abandoned — J.D.Morris > < officers whose initial target was the rapid establishment of law and order — Current History > 4. : a visible signal or device used to mark or identify something: as a. : a railroad day signal attached to a switch stand that indicates by its position, shape, color, or shape and color combined whether the switch is open or closed b. : the vane or sliding sight on a surveyor's leveling staff c. : an indicator to show that an electrical relay has functioned — compare drop 3f 5. a. : the metallic surface usually of a platinum or tungsten anode upon which the stream of cathode rays within an X-ray tube is focused b. : a body, surface, or substance bombarded with nuclear particles c. : the fluorescent material on which the desired patterns or pictures are produced in television, radar, and other electronic devices 6. : the standard or original object or thought that is to be recognized or affected through psychokinesis, telepathy, or clairvoyance : stimulus-object II. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s) 1. a. : to make a target of < is already targeted as the first victim — Newsweek > < the fires were smothered to keep … planes from targeting the oil fields — National Geographic > b. : to set forth or determine as a goal or mark to be achieved < coal production … was targeted for 100 million tons in 1955 — Newsweek > < if zooming costs had not prevented … the bargain price originally targeted — Forbes > 2. : to signal (as the position of a railroad switch) by means of a target 3. : to determine by experiment the firing data necessary for aiming and firing (a firearm) accurately < traded rifles … and I targeted the thing — W.C.Tuttle > 4. : to direct toward a target |