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

The SG-1 Fathom is on the prowl for intruders.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025

Soundless, but titled “The listening dimension,” the installation demands being alert — like a human animal on the prowl, one could say, a beast who depends on being acutely observant for survival.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 17, 2024

Around seven-thirty, dressed and slicked up, I stuck my head outside my door to see if either of the Yoshotos were on the prowl.

From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger