Forum: english.stackexchange.com
Tags: <meaning><word-choice><differences><nouns>
Title: What's the difference in meaning and usage between "target" and "goal"?
Question: What are the differences in usage and meaning?   For example, is it,   My targets for 2011 are...   or    My goals for 2011 are...   Which one is correct or more suitable here?

Answers:
sents: text: Targets implies a numerical goal.
text: Usually you hear this in sales meetings, as in "Our Q4 target for the sales team is $12M." Goal is a bit broader and more general.
text: Where target may imply a very specific goal, goal can be broader.
text: You can say "My goal is to lose weight this year," but using target there would sound odd because the general concept of losing weight isn't specific enough for that word.
text: You would more likely specify a quantity, as in "My weight-loss target is 15 lbs."
text: Nevertheless, you could use the two interchangeably.
text: There is nothing wrong with saying "Our Q4 goal for the sales team is $12M."
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/2303/Robusto
score: 13
sents: text: So, regardless of whether you use targets or goals, the verb should be are since they're plural.
text: In the usage you're describing, targets and goals are similar.
text: The biggest difference to me is that targets tend to be specific values while goals can be more generic.
text: For example if in 2011 I wanted to learn to ski, I would consider that a goal, but not really a target.
text: However, if I wanted to sell $10M worth of something for my company, I could call that a sales target.
text: It could also be referred to as a sales goal though, if you preferred.
text: If you're making a list that includes both types, I'd go with goals.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/2007/Dusty
score: 3
sents: text: In addition to the other's answers, a helpful analogy for the differences between target and goal is found in sports.
text: A "target" will be an object focused on a specific point that the athlete is aiming to hit.
text: Success is measured in distance from that point.
text: A "goal" will be a larger object such as what is used in soccer/football or hockey.
text: Success for a goal will be anything that fits through the goal; it is either in or out.
text: The idea here is that a personal goal is something that is not necessarily focused on a particular, measurable point.
text: A target will be.
text: This distinction is mostly unofficial, however, and I am sure there are plenty of exceptions to what I am positing here -- even within the world of sports.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/6006/MrHen
score: 3
sents: text: I think they are not difference much in common use.
text: Target is used to talk about short term goal.
text: When you talk about target, you already imagine how it will done.
text: Goal is broader and maybe you still don't know how to do it, you just know that is your goal
text: and you will be happy if you get it done.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/3180/Dzung Nguyen
score: 1
sents: text: Along the lines of MrHen's comment, I think of a "target" as something you want to hit - dead-on.
text: On the other hand a "goal" is something to be met or exceeded.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/61632/Dave Hicks
score: 1
sents: text: Further to Robusto's answer, I think "target" is not only more specific but more serious in its intention as well.
text: Our Q4 goal for the sales team is $12M. Compared to... Our Q4 target for the sales team is
text: $12M. One might interpret the latter as a required target, whereas the former may be interpreted or used as a way of specifying what the sales team would like to achieve.
text: As such, use of one or the other could influence the effect of its interpretation significantly.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/6337/Nick Bedford
score: 0
sents: text: It may be viewed as: A goal describes what you want to accomplish.
text: A key performance indicator (KPI) monitors progress towards a specificobjective.
text: A target is the value of a KPI at a defined moment in time.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/70551/Jonathan Becher
score: 0
sents: text: A goal is an objective; a target has a numerical value.
text: For example, that the government wants to decrease inflation is an example of a goal.
text: If the government wants to decrease inflation to 2% , then that's a target because it has a numerical value.
answer_details: author: english.stackexchange.com/users/282823/SamLovesCoffee
score: 0

Summary of the answers:
There are many possible differences in use between "target" and "goal", although they are not so different in common use. Targets are often used to talk about numerical or short-term goals whereas goals can be more generic. It's generally believed that the two can be used more or less interchangeably. On the other hand, in sports, a target represents a specific point that someone would aim to hit whilst a goal is a much larger object.
Targets imply a goal in numbers. However, where  target  may imply a very specific goal,  goal  can be broader, as in "My goal is to lose weight this year," but using  target  there would sound odd because the general concept of losing weight isn't specific enough for that word.You would more likely specify a quantity, as in "My weight-loss target is 15 lbs."  Nevertheless, you could use the two interchangeably.There is nothing wrong with saying "Our Q4 goal for the sales team is $12M." Some believe that "rarget" and "goal" in the  sample sentence similar as terms.If the aim includes both types of achievement; a target and a goal, both can be used.A helpful analogy to show the differnece comes from  "sport" where a "target" could be an object or specific point that the athlete is aiming to hit. Some people believe there is not much difference between the terms and "target" can also mean something short term.
There are many possible differences in use between "target" and "goal", although they are not so different in common use. Targets are often used to talk about numerical or short-term goals whereas goals can be more generic. It's generally believed that the two can be used more or less interchangeably. On the other hand, in sports, a target represents a specific point that someone would aim to hit whilst a goal is a much larger object.
Target  may imply a very specific goal, and  goal  can be broader. Some say that target may refer to a numerical or short-term goal.
The two words are very similar in meaning. However, whereas  target  may imply a very specific goal,  goal  can be broader. Targets tend to be specific values and numerical, while goals can be more generic and refer to objectives.  Target may also be used to talk about a short term goal.
It is generally agreed that "goal" and "target" are similar and used similarly in common usage. However, a "target" tends to have a specific value, whereas a "goal" is more of an objective. The word "target" may be used to refer to a short-term goal.