predator

[ pred-uh-ter, -tawr ]
/ ˈprɛd ə tər, -ˌtɔr /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR predator ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Zoology. any organism that exists by preying upon other organisms.
a predatory person.

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a creature, variously described as a serpent, lizard, or dragon, said to kill by its breath or look.
place or source of origin.
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Origin of predator

1920–25; < Latin praedātor plunderer, equivalent to praedā(rī) to plunder (derivative of praeda prey) + -tor -tor

OTHER WORDS FROM predator

an·ti·pred·a·tor, noun

Words nearby predator

predacious, predate, predation, predation pressure, predatism, predator, predatory, predatory pricing, predawn, predecease, predecessor
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to predator

carnivore

Example sentences from the Web for predator

British Dictionary definitions for predator

predator
/ (ˈprɛdətə) /

noun

any carnivorous animal
a predatory person or thing
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

Scientific definitions for predator

predator
[ prĕd′ə-tər ]

An animal that lives by capturing and eating other animals.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.