predated; predating; predates
: to prey on (something or someone)
Animals predate other animals in nature, but that is hardly commensurate with a massive worldwide farming industry that breeds species purely for our purpose.—
Jenny Diski
Jenny DiskiAre high-profile men that sexually predate women finally starting to lose immunity?—Alex McKinnon
Alex McKinnonAll cats may predate but those living indoors have little opportunity to do so.—Kevin Stafford
Kevin StaffordThere are many species that predate on pigeons and doves.—Revati
RevatiExamples of predate in a Sentence
Verb (1)
modes of transportation that predate the car
the native people who predated European settlers in America
Recent Examples on the Web
David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2026
But that figure predates major advances in cleanup technology and fails to account for available state and federal funding.
—Charles Rilli, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
There is evidence of inflatable tent designs predating that launch by a few decades, but Karsten does appear to be the first to have successfully commercialized the idea and built a long-running business around it.
—New Atlas, 9 Apr. 2026
This puts Rodriguez, one of two players on Miami’s roster (along with linebacker Chase Smith) whose time on the team predates head coach Mario Cristobal, in a key position to lead UM to success in his final season with the program.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predate
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Verb
The backyard is the closer, built around an oak tree that predates the house.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 11 Apr. 2026
But that figure predates major advances in cleanup technology and fails to account for available state and federal funding.
—Charles Rilli, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Apr. 2026
There is evidence of inflatable tent designs predating that launch by a few decades, but Karsten does appear to be the first to have successfully commercialized the idea and built a long-running business around it.
—New Atlas, 9 Apr. 2026
This puts Rodriguez, one of two players on Miami’s roster (along with linebacker Chase Smith) whose time on the team predates head coach Mario Cristobal, in a key position to lead UM to success in his final season with the program.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for predate
Cite this Entry
“Predate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predate. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predate
verb
pre·date
(ˈ)prē-ˈdāt 
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