{
    "term": "target",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "academic": true,
    "ox3000": true,
    "cefr": "a2",
    "image": "data/images/sp/sports_misc.png",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "a result that you try to achieve",
            "sensetop": "on targetoff target",
            "labels": "(North American English)(British English)",
            "cefr": "a2",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "to **meet/hit a target**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The firm is on track to **achieve its** growth **target** for the year."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The university will **reach its target** of 5 000 students next September."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The department has **missed its** sales **target** for the third month running."
                },
                {
                    "text": "**Set yourself targets** that you can reasonably hope to achieve."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The new sports complex is on target to open in June.",
                    "contextForm": "on target"
                },
                {
                    "text": "These figures are way off target.",
                    "contextForm": "off target"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a **target date** of April 2022"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a **target audience/market** *(= the particular audience, area etc. that a product, programme, etc. is aimed at)*"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The film's target demographic is women aged 18–49 years."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We're using social media to communicate with our target customers."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Hospital performance targets will not be met."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Many pay agreements reached were over the original target of 4%."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Pupils should be given a target to aim for."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Sales so far this year are 20% above target."
                },
                {
                    "text": "She has always set herself very high targets."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The CEO has set new targets for growth."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The company pays bonuses to workers who exceed production targets."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We are well within our target for trains arriving on time."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We are working towards a target of twenty cars a week."
                },
                {
                    "text": "What's the target market for this product?"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Success", "Working life"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["achievable", "attainable", "low"],
                "verb + target": ["set", "aim for", "achieve"],
                "target + noun": ["audience", "demographic", "group"],
                "preposition": ["above (a/​the) target", "off target", "on target"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "an object, a person or a place that people aim at when attacking",
            "sensetop": "target for somebody/somethingtarget of something",
            "labels": "(figurative)",
            "cefr": "b1",
            "ox3000": true,
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "They attacked military and civilian targets."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Doors and windows are an **easy target** for burglars.",
                    "contextForm": "target for somebody/something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The children became the target for their father’s aggressive outbursts."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It's a **prime target** *(= an obvious target)* for terrorist attacks."
                },
                {
                    "text": "He's become the target of a lot of criticism recently.",
                    "contextForm": "target of something"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The bomb reached its intended target ten seconds later."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The damaged ship presented a tempting target."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The flare overshot its target and set fire to a hotel."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The missile veered way off target and landed in the sea."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The stationary trucks were sitting targets for the enemy planes."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The company could become a takeover target."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The real target of his satire is religion."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The President is a favorite target of comedians."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Politically speaking, his jibes were right on target."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["War and conflict"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["favourite/​favorite", "frequent", "important"],
                "verb + target": ["choose", "identify", "pick"],
                "target + noun": ["site"],
                "preposition": ["off target", "on target", "target for"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "an object that people practise shooting at, especially a round board with circles on it",
            "labels": "(figurative)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "to aim at a target"
                },
                {
                    "text": "to **hit/miss the target**"
                },
                {
                    "text": "target practice"
                },
                {
                    "text": "The archers were setting up their targets."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The boys used an old tree stump as a target."
                },
                {
                    "text": "The shot went wide of the target."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Patton was just off target with a header."
                },
                {
                    "text": "It should be possible to deliver the drug direct to the target site."
                }
            ],
            "collocations": {
                "verb + target": ["put up", "set up", "aim at"],
                "target + noun": ["area", "range", "practice"],
                "preposition": ["off target", "on target", "wide of the target"]
            }
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtɑːɡɪt/",
                "audio": "ta/target/target__gb_1.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/ˈtɑːrɡɪt/",
                "audio": "ta/target/target__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English (originally referring to a small round shield): diminutive of targe Old English, of Germanic origin. The noun came to denote various round objects. The verb dates from the early 17th cent."
}