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

See Examples For:

on the prowl

Many of these wealthy buyers are on the prowl for vacation homes.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 29, 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

Crypto kings, billionaires needing agency approvals, felons buying pardons, AI chieftains on the prowl.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025

Dozens of self-help books and therapy sessions later, I’m still on the prowl for something that makes sense of it all.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 29, 2025

Most students obeyed the principal’s rules and flocked like sheep when wolves are on the prowl.

From "Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography" by Mark Mathabane