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)

preys, present (3rd person singular) preyed, past participle, past preying present participle

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

Derived Forms

• preyer
  noun
• unpreying
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• preying
  present
• preyed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• prey
  simple
• preys
  simple
• have preyed
  perfect
• has preyed
  perfect
• are preying
  progressive
• am preying
  progressive
• is preying
  progressive
• have been preying
  perfect progressive
• has been preying
  perfect progressive

Past

• preyed
  simple
• had preyed
  perfect
• was preying
  progressive
• were preying
  progressive
• had been preying
  perfect progressive

Future

• will prey
  simple
• will have preyed
  perfect
• will be preying
  progressive
• will have been preying
  perfect progressive

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

Spotify is trying to optimise for platform growth, says Prey from Oxford.

From BBC • Apr. 27, 2026

Stay up really late so you wake up with the kind of high upper eyelid exposure that gives you Prey Eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

At the temple shelter, 67-year-old farmer Sok Chork said he settled in Prey Chan in 1980, when the area was landmine-infested and undeveloped.

From Barron's • Feb. 7, 2026

The bird was washed, fed and given water before being transported to the Orange County Bird of Prey Center, where it will begin its rehabilitation journey.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2025

I hadn't read Jane Bowles's work but knew her husband's book The Delicate Prey, which was just about my favorite collection of stories in the world.

From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos