prey on

Idioms  

1. 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]

2. Hunt, especially in order to eat, as in Their cat preys on all the rodents in the neighborhood . [c. 1600]

3. Exert a baneful or injurious effect, as in Guilt preyed on his mind . [c. 1700]

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Example Sentences

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

It’s spurred tension in rural counties where the animals prey on livestock.

From Los Angeles Times

"You are talking like a crazy Traveler yourself, Neel! There is no Dragon. The Dragon is a story told to children to make them behave. If there was a Dragon, we would have seen it. It would prey on the bukshah—and on us."

From Literature

"Let's be very crystal clear here: if a bull shark, or a tiger, or a great white did want to prey on a human, there would be no body."

From BBC

The fish contend with dams that cut off their spawning grounds, nonnative fish such as bass that prey on them and powerful pumps that pull them into areas where they are vulnerable.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bully
• devour
• exploit
• feed on
• fleece
• haunt
• intimidate
• oppress
• plunder
• take advantage of
• victimize