aim vs target

aim

noun
  • Intention or goal 

  • The ability of someone to aim straight; one's faculty for being able to hit a physical target 

  • The point intended to be hit, or object intended to be attained or affected. 

  • The pointing of a weapon, as a gun, a dart, or an arrow, or object, in the line of direction with the object intended to be struck; the line of fire; the direction of anything, such as a spear, a blow, a discourse, a remark, towards a particular point or object, with a view to strike or affect it. 

verb
  • To point or direct a missile, or a weapon which propels as missile, towards an object or spot with the intent of hitting it 

  • To direct (something verbal) towards a certain person, thing, or group 

  • To direct the intention or purpose; to attempt the accomplishment of a purpose; to try to gain; to endeavor;—followed by at, or by an infinitive 

  • To direct or point (e.g. a weapon), at a particular object; to direct, as a missile, an act, or a proceeding, at, to, or against an object 

target

noun
  • A goal or objective. 

  • A conspicuous disk attached to a switch lever to show its position, or for use as a signal. 

  • A bearing representing a buckler. 

  • The translated version of a document, or the language into which translation occurs. 

  • A person (or group of people) that a person or organization is trying to employ or to have as a customer, audience etc. 

  • A kind of small shield or buckler, used as a defensive weapon in war. 

  • The pattern or arrangement of a series of hits made by a marksman on a butt or mark. 

  • A butt or mark to shoot at, as for practice, or to test the accuracy of a firearm, or the force of a projectile. 

  • the number of runs that the side batting last needs to score in the final innings in order to win 

  • An object of criticism or ridicule. 

  • The tenor of a metaphor. 

  • A person, place, or thing that is frequently attacked, criticized, or ridiculed. 

  • The sliding crosspiece, or vane, on a leveling staff. 

verb
  • To aim for as an audience or demographic. 

  • To aim something, especially a weapon, at (a target). 

  • To produce code suitable for. 

How often have the words aim and target occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )