predation

[ pri-dey-shuh n ]

/ prɪˈdeɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR predation ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

depredation; plundering.

act of plundering or robbing.

predatory behavior.

a relation between animals in which one organism captures and feeds on others.

RELATED WORDS

rapacity, predacity, predatism

Nearby words

Origin of predation

1425–75; late Middle English < Latin praedātiōn- (stem of praedātiō) a taking of booty, plundering, equivalent to praedāt(us), past participle of praedārī to plunder, catch (see predator) + -iōn-

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for predation

Starvation, disease, war, and predation were common threats for a majority of our evolutionary history.
How Depression Could Save Your Life|Nick Romeo|March 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
WGA is classified as a lectin—a term for a protein produced by an organism to protect itself from predation.
Wheat Threatens All Humans, New Research Shows|David Perlmutter, MD|December 10, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Young are more vulnerable to predation and injury because of their small size, soft shells, and immovable plastra.
Natural History of the Ornate Box Turtle, Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz|John M. Legler
The selective effect of predation on prey populations is of significance in studies of evolution and population dynamics.
Ecological Studies of the Timber Wolf in Northeastern Minnesota|L. David Mech

Flightless rails have apparently developed in the absence of predation.
The Avifauna of Micronesia, Volume 3|Rollin H. Baker
Further verification of predation on mammals, reptiles and amphibians by this species is needed.
Observations on the Mississippi Kite in Southwestern Kansas|Henry S. Fitch
Besides, he lacked nerve to accept the gamblers chance at the game of predation.
Criminal Types|V. M. Masten

British Dictionary definitions for predation

predation

/ (prɪˈdeɪʃən) /

noun

a relationship between two species of animal in a community, in which one (the predator) hunts, kills, and eats the other (the prey)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for predation

predation

late 15c., "act of plundering or pillaging," from Latin praedationem (nominative praedatio) "a plundering, act of taking booty," from praedari "to rob, to plunder," from praeda "plunder, booty, prey" (see prey (n.)). Zoological sense recorded from 1907.