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
Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
Keaton’s ascent through Hollywood predated the fashion industry’s fixation on curating stars’ every look.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025
Endeavoring to make a 12-hour documentary on a subject that predates the invention of photography, and whose sources are written in an 18th-century vernacular, was in other respects a daunting mission.
—Sarah Botstein, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
That said, armed conflict in Central America long predates the Cold War, so this is a relatively modest change in the broader sweep of regional history.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predate
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
California had issued the driver a commercial license, but these English rules predate the crash.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025
Keaton’s ascent through Hollywood predated the fashion industry’s fixation on curating stars’ every look.
—Oscar Holland, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2025
Endeavoring to make a 12-hour documentary on a subject that predates the invention of photography, and whose sources are written in an 18th-century vernacular, was in other respects a daunting mission.
—Sarah Botstein, The Atlantic, 8 Oct. 2025
That said, armed conflict in Central America long predates the Cold War, so this is a relatively modest change in the broader sweep of regional history.
—Tim Brinkhof, JSTOR Daily, 8 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predate
Cite this Entry
“Predate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predate. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predate
verb
pre·date
(ˈ)prē-ˈdāt 
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share