prey

[ prey ]

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: gull, dupe, mark

3. the action or habit of preying:

   a beast of prey.

4. Archaic. booty or plunder.

verb (used without object)

1. to seize and devour prey, as an animal does (usually followed by on or upon ):

   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 or upon ):

   loan sharks that prey upon poor people.

prey

/ 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. beast of prey
   an animal that preys on others for food
4. bird of prey
   a bird that preys on others for food
5. an archaic word for booty 1

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)

Derived Forms

• ˈpreyer, noun

Other Word Forms

• preyer noun
• un·preying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prey¹

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; prehension

Word History and Origins

Origin of prey¹

C13: from Old French preie, from Latin praeda booty; see predatory

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

Before long, Gaga’s version of her wicked queen sniffs out her prey.

From Salon

Oliver James MacCormack was the last of four men from Northern Ireland to be jailed who preyed on vulnerable women who were addicted to drugs.

From BBC

It is estimated that the bird of prey had swooped on at least 50 people since early March, drawing blood from several victims.

From BBC

“But we must have the ability to communicate and share threats and removal of criminal offenders who prey upon our community, often within the immigrant communities in which they reside.”

From Los Angeles Times

A deadly, drug-resistant fungus that preys on the sick and old is continuing to spread in hospitals and senior care facilities across the country, killing more than 1 in 3 infected.

From Los Angeles Times