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have preyed

  • present perfect
    of prey.
    prey
    noun
    an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal.

Example Sentences

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Major food brands have preyed on purchasers' insecurities — be those financial-, health- or status-based — since the advent of advertising.

From Salon ● Apr. 7, 2024

During the last ice age, he notes, large lions roamed North America that may have preyed upon these infected—and emboldened—beasts.

From Science Magazine ● Nov. 24, 2022

Together they present a portrait of a celebrity spokesman who overstated his role in a for-profit program that is alleged to have preyed upon veterans and service members while defrauding the government.

From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2022

Hackers have preyed upon heightened anxiety about the invasion, tricking their victims into downloading documents that falsely claim to contain information about the war or pose as aid organizations raising money for charity.

From New York Times ● May 19, 2022

Again, the Augurs have preyed on the unexpected fear, the one I didn't realize I had.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir