Synonyms of prey

prey

noun

ˈprā 

1

as in quarry

an animal that is hunted or killed

rabbits are common prey for owls and hawks

Synonyms & Similar Words

• quarry
• creature
• chase
• target
• victim
• beast
• game
• kill
• critter
• brute

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• predator
• hunter
• killer
• murderer
• carnivore
• pursuer
• chaser

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

• victim
• casualty
• fatality
• loss
• sacrifice
• loser
• underdog
• martyr
• collateral damage
• murderee

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• winner
• victor
• gainer
• killer
• murderer
• assassin
• injurer
• harmer

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

• target
• victim
• butt
• sitting duck
• mark
• mockery
• goat
• scapegoat
• laughingstock
• lightning rod
• pilgarlic
• fall guy
• whipping boy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• gossip
• troublemaker
• tattler
• tormentor
• gossiper
• tattletale
• talebearer
• defamer
• traducer
• torturer
• tease
• libeler
• teaser
• taunter
• baiter
• needler
• mocker
• heckler
• scorner
• insulter
• scoffer
• ribber
• satirist
• libelist
• caricaturist
• parodist
• lampooner
• derider
• ridiculer

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of prey

Alligator and crocodile attacks are often cases of mistaken identity, and pets can resemble the reptile’s natural prey. — David Goodhue august 27, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

Things get a little too close for comfort though when Jake disappears and is feared to have become the newest prey of the Whisper Man. — Pete Hammond, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2026

The nonnative trout prey on native Kokanee salmon, which Fish and Game stocks at Payette Lake. — Nicole Blanchard, Idaho Statesman, 26 Aug. 2026

Granted exclusive access to the nest, the BBC witnessed some of the raptors’ striking feeding behavior, in which the male drops prey in midair and the female rolls upside down to snatch it in her talons. — Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 25 Aug. 2026

Phrases Containing prey

• prey (on or upon)