1
2
as in victim
a person or thing harmed, lost, or destroyed
he fell prey to nagging—but groundless—doubts about his wife's fidelity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in target
a person or thing that is the object of abuse, criticism, or ridicule
that woman has a sharp tongue, and her favored prey is her long-suffering husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prey
Most people initially become aware of the reptiles by hearing their rattles, which the snakes use to try to scare off aggressors or to distract prey.
—
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Davis used tuning forks to simulate prey vibrations near roadsides and found the spiders’ overall health was unaffected by urban stressors.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
At the same time, prey traveling with the wind can easily be detected by the fox.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
Its prey includes insects, but also other frogs, fish, turtles, bats and even snakes.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2026
Davis used tuning forks to simulate prey vibrations near roadsides and found the spiders’ overall health was unaffected by urban stressors.
—Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 17 Mar. 2026
At the same time, prey traveling with the wind can easily be detected by the fox.
—Sheryl De Vore, Chicago Tribune, 16 Mar. 2026
Its prey includes insects, but also other frogs, fish, turtles, bats and even snakes.
—Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
Occasionally the focus drops to the fishermen’s crustacean quarry in the deep, also guarded and unhurried but intensely vulnerable; the man-lobster parallel isn’t stretched to the point of contrivance, but the film takes a thoughtfully holistic view of all the region’s living inhabitants.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2026
-
The quarry was fascinating and diverse.—
Thor Christensen,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Both victims were under age 5 at the time of the crime, according to the statement.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
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Police say identifying additional victims or witnesses will be critical as the investigation continues.—
Jamie Leary,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Some notable celebrity targets include Anthony Edwards, Terrance Crawford, Keith Lee, Kai Cenat and many more.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
29 Mar. 2026
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Operationally, Dark Eagle is built to strike high-value targets in contested environments.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The warning calls mostly prevented serious casualties.—
Zayd Ayers Dohrn,
New Yorker,
28 Mar. 2026
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According to the group, there have been 1,492 civilian casualties since the launch of the war.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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