on the prowl

Idioms  

1. Actively looking for something, as in Their underpaid computer programmers are always on the prowl for better jobs. This idiom transfers an animal's search for prey to human pursuits that are usually less bloodthirsty. [c. 1800]

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Example Sentences

Big Pharma is on the prowl for biotech companies, but it’s acting stingy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

“Goldilocks” was the byword for the bull market of the past few years, but now the three bears—oil, gold, and the Fed—are on the prowl, and there may be no happy ending.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

According to myth, he made the trip from his penthouse to the store early each morning, and theatrically dragged his white gloved hands over the shop’s display cases on the prowl for dust.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2023

It might not be disco - but the insistent groove possesses an intense physicality that's a perfect fit for a singer out on the prowl.

From BBC • Nov. 9, 2023

I carefully pushed it to one side as I had seen my father do and then poked my head through; all the time my eyes were on the prowl for danger.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane