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
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
There has been a rise in anti-Jewish hostility in Britain, predating the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza that started two years ago, according to community groups and the people suffering the firsthand effects in the United Kingdom.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
The brownstone was built for this, a product of a culture that predates the nursing home.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predate
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Verb
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
There has been a rise in anti-Jewish hostility in Britain, predating the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza that started two years ago, according to community groups and the people suffering the firsthand effects in the United Kingdom.
—Freddie Clayton, NBC news, 5 Oct. 2025
The brownstone was built for this, a product of a culture that predates the nursing home.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 2 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 11 Oct. 2025.
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predate
verb
pre·date
(ˈ)prē-ˈdāt 
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