prey
an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal.
a person or thing that is the victim of an enemy, a swindler, a disease, etc: a con man looking for his next prey.
the action or habit of preying: a beast of prey.
Archaic. booty or plunder.
to seize and devour prey, as an animal does (usually followed by on or upon): Foxes prey on rabbits.
to make raids or attacks for booty or plunder: The Vikings preyed on coastal settlements.
to exert a harmful or destructive influence: His worries preyed upon his mind.
to victimize another or others (usually followed by on or upon): loan sharks that prey upon poor people.
Idioms about prey
fall prey (to), to be victimized, harmed, or killed: chickens that fell prey to a hawk;fall prey to internet scams.
Origin of prey
1Other words for prey
Other words from prey
- preyer, noun
- un·prey·ing, adjective
Words that may be confused with prey
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use prey in a sentence
Bill, of course, is in the latter stages of Hep V—an AIDS-like virus that preys on vampires.
'True Blood' Ends With a Whimper: The Sexy HBO Vampire Series Is (Finally) Over | Marlow Stern | August 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTPutin preys on the fact that the West thinks money and sport are neutral, or at least civilizing influences.
This one is ugly for sure, a resistant-to-almost-everything bacteria that preys on the hospitalized patient.
Why I’m Not Worried About Dying From a Superbug, and You Shouldn’t Be, Either | Kent Sepkowitz | March 8, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTThen there was the accusation by Kyle that she “preys on the weak.”
‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Lisa Vanderpump Dishes | Nicole LaPorte | February 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEASTThese two men helped create the payday loan business that preys on the poorest Americans.
Every one of us preys upon his Neighbour, and yet we herd together.
The Beggar's Opera | John GayThe Mantis-killing Tachytes, for instance, preys indiscriminately upon all the Mantides that occur in her neighbourhood.
More Hunting Wasps | J. Henri FabreEverything preys on something else—you prey on the animals you eat, and the folk you make fools of on the Stock Exchange.
The Angel of Pain | E. F. BensonThe Puccinia gramienis, "preys upon the juices of plants, and prevents the grain from swelling."
It is a powerful bird that preys upon the smaller Gulls, eating both the eggs and young.
Western Bird Guide | Chester A. (Chester Albert) Reed, Harry F. Harvey, and Rex I. Brasher
British Dictionary definitions for prey
/ (preɪ) /
an animal hunted or captured by another for food
a person or thing that becomes the victim of a hostile person, influence, etc
beast of prey an animal that preys on others for food
bird of prey a bird that preys on others for food
an archaic word for booty 1
to hunt or seize food by killing other animals
to make a victim (of others), as by profiting at their expense
to exert a depressing or obsessive effect (on the mind, spirits, etc); weigh heavily (upon)
Origin of prey
1Derived forms of prey
- preyer, noun
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
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