prey
noun
an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal.
was preying
-
past progressiveof prey.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
During the years that investigators said Heuermann was preying on young women, he lived in the red house with his wife, Asa Ellerup, 59, and their two children.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
This sense of persecution, utterly unfettered by any connection to provable reality, spoke to the deeper impulses on which Big Tobacco was preying.
From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2021
Friends told me I should feel flattered that someone would consider me attractive enough to use as bait, but it felt gross that some version of me was preying upon the vulnerable.
From New York Times ● Nov. 13, 2020
It is unclear when Trump learned of allegations that Epstein was preying on teenage girls.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 31, 2019
More than just the fever was preying on those left in Philadelphia.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
