prey on
Idioms-
Plunder or pillage; also, make a profit at someone else's expense, victimize. For example, Vikings preyed on the coastal towns of England , or The rich have been preying on the poor for centuries . [Late 1500s]
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Hunt, especially in order to eat, as in Their cat preys on all the rodents in the neighborhood . [c. 1600]
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Exert a baneful or injurious effect, as in Guilt preyed on his mind . [c. 1700]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They say the schemes prey on fear of the legal system and the social stigma that comes with being associated with criminal investigations, trapping even highly educated professionals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026
Westfield said grey seals were known to occasionally prey on smaller harbour porpoises in Welsh waters, but there had not previously been a report involving common dolphins.
From BBC • Mar. 2, 2026
“We deal with violations regarding raptors and birds of prey on a relative frequency but I haven’t seen anything to this level of disregard for the animal in quite a while.”
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 2026
Harriet also shared the 2023 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability for revealing corruption in California’s legal profession that enabled attorneys to prey on vulnerable clients.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 22, 2026
I squeeze my lids shut tight for a moment, to track her as I would prey on a hunt.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
