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
As Meta’s announcement correctly notes, passkeys can’t fall prey to phishing scams.
—
Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 June 2025
For most of human history, women were hauling gear, tracking prey, and walking eight to 10 miles a day —often while pregnant, menstruating, nursing or carrying children (one estimate found that hunter-gatherer women covered more than 3,000 miles in a child’s first four years of life).
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
Phishing often preys on fear and urgency, so be cautious with messages pushing immediate action and verify before responding.
—Bojan Ilic, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
The prey burst, turning spherical and leaking nutrients, which the killers then use to survive and grow.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 June 2025
For most of human history, women were hauling gear, tracking prey, and walking eight to 10 miles a day —often while pregnant, menstruating, nursing or carrying children (one estimate found that hunter-gatherer women covered more than 3,000 miles in a child’s first four years of life).
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
Phishing often preys on fear and urgency, so be cautious with messages pushing immediate action and verify before responding.
—Bojan Ilic, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
The prey burst, turning spherical and leaking nutrients, which the killers then use to survive and grow.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
Ugento fell siege to the Romans, and during the second and first centuries B.C., its defenses were incrementally dismantled and reused as quarry for new structures, archaeologists said.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2025
-
Lita Miller who let go of the property for less than 1% of that was not in a position to operate quarry so that sale was not comparable.—
Peter J Reilly,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
Noun
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According to a letter sent to victims' family members discussing a new plea agreement, cited by the outlet, however, Kohberger is expected to enter a guilty plea on all charges.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
People.com,
1 July 2025
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The father of University of Idaho murder victim Kaylee Goncalves is blasting the plea deal offered to Bryan Kohberger, accusing the prosecutors of mishandling and rushing the deal.—
Kayna Whitworth,
ABC News,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
As of July 1, 2025, the new target reductions in the carbon intensity of transportation fuels are 30 percent below 2010 levels by 2030 and 90 percent below by 2045.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Forbes.com,
2 July 2025
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While the Hendrickson possibility is still an option, another name has been suggested as a possible target for the Packers.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
Officials did not provide a breakdown of casualty figures.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
30 June 2025
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Despite hundreds of thousands of casualties, the Russian military can still generate forces far greater than Ukraine.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
29 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
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