prey

American  

[prey] / preɪ /

noun

1. an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal.

2. a person or thing that is the victim of an enemy, a swindler, a disease, etc.

   a con man looking for his next prey.

   Synonyms:

   mark, gull, dupe

3. the action or habit of preying.

   a beast of prey.

4. Archaic. booty or plunder.

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verb (used without object)

1. to seize and devour prey, as an animal does (usually followed by on orupon ).

   Foxes prey on rabbits.

2. to make raids or attacks for booty or plunder.

   The Vikings preyed on coastal settlements.

3. to exert a harmful or destructive influence.

   His worries preyed upon his mind.

4. to victimize another or others (usually followed by on orupon ).

   loan sharks that prey upon poor people.

idioms

1. fall prey (to), to be victimized, harmed, or killed: fall prey to internet scams.

   chickens that fell prey to a hawk;

   fall prey to internet scams.

prey British  

/ preɪ /

noun

1. an animal hunted or captured by another for food

2. a person or thing that becomes the victim of a hostile person, influence, etc

3. an animal that preys on others for food

4. a bird that preys on others for food

5. an archaic word for booty 1

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verb

1. to hunt or seize food by killing other animals

2. to make a victim (of others), as by profiting at their expense

3. to exert a depressing or obsessive effect (on the mind, spirits, etc); weigh heavily (upon)

Other Word Forms

• preyer
  noun
• unpreying
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of prey

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English prei(e), preye, “booty, plunder, prey,” from Old French proie, praie, preie, from Latin praeda; akin to prehendere to grasp, seize; see prehension

Explanation

Prey is an animal hunted for food. If you're a delicious-looking deer during hunting season, watch your back! You're the prey for all those guys in orange jackets carrying rifles. Prey can also mean the human subject of an attack, or ridicule, by another person. Remember those bullies in school? The younger kids whom they shoved into lockers were their prey. Prey can also be used as a verb, meaning to hunt or go after. I bet most people would agree it's better to prey on something else than to be the preyed upon!

Example Sentences

“Even though capybaras don’t look stressed, they are actually very stressed,” Nardi says—especially if they think they’re going to be prey.

From Slate • May 27, 2026

Scammers often prey on older people, many of whom are lonely and don’t have a large network to bounce ideas off.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 26, 2026

Researchers believe the oversized chelae on its front legs were likely used to seize and hold small insect prey as it hunted through the ancient coastal environment.

From Science Daily • May 25, 2026

"We think this colour pattern helps keep it safe. If the octopus grabs a prey item that emits light, that light may attract predators that might then eat the octopus," she explained.

From Barron's • May 25, 2026

She might as well have said to the fire, “don’t burn!” but how could she divine the morbid suffering to which I was a prey?

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë