predation

noun

pre·da·tion | \ pri-ˈdā-shən

Definition of predation

1 : the killing by one living organism of another for food These small fish are most vulnerable to predation just after sunset, when larger fish, such as barracuda and jacks, chase them into the shallow water near shore to feed on them.— Anne Brooke … elephant seals historically avoided the mainland to protect the newborns from predation by grizzly bears.— Carolyn Longstreth In other words, just as vascular plants make tannins, phenols, sterols and alkaloids to defend against predation, it is likely that cyanobacteria synthesize poisons to ward off attack by fellow planktonic species.— Wayne Carmichael : a mode of life in which food is primarily obtained by the killing and consuming of animals Predation is important to an understanding of ancient ecology because the food chain helps determine the structure of biological communities.— Derek Briggs and Harry Whittington Weeks or months later, depending on ambient temperatures, a beetle returns to the water to resume a life of predation. — Natural History

2 : the act of injuring, exploiting, or plundering others for personal gain A burglary occurs every 10 seconds, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Such predation keeps Americans uneasy… — Consumer Reports To the traditionalists, predation is any price or product strategy intended to impose costs on a competitor. — Insight

Examples of predation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In #MeToo, which began in the predations of Harvey Weinstein, Democrats and progressives finally have found a weapon against which there seems to be no defense. — Daniel Henninger, WSJ, "What Democrats Have Become," 19 Sep. 2018 In spite of this, a remarkable recent suggestion is that Glossotherium and/or Scelidotherium may have constructed large burrows to escape predation or unfavorable weather. — Smithsonian, "How Darwin’s Theory of Evolution Evolved," 8 May 2018 Bork was also largely untroubled by the dangers of predation—pricing products at below marginal cost in the short-run with the hope of recouping gains once local rivals are driven out of the market. — Richard A. Epstein, WSJ, "‘The Curse of Bigness’ Review: Revisiting the Gilded Age," 2 Dec. 2018 In and around the wind farm, lizard populations exploded, completely unchecked by predation. — Avery Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "Turbines Kill So Many Birds They're Effectively an Apex Predator," 6 Nov. 2018 Critters achieve this by avoiding predation and surviving long enough to pass down their genes. — Rob Reid, Ars Technica, "Ars on your lunch break: Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?," 2 Oct. 2018 In some cases priests used sacramental objects as props for their diabolical predations. — C.c. Pecknold, WSJ, "The Catholic Bishops Who Failed Us All," 16 Aug. 2018 In fact, according to previous research, cat predation has been linked to the extinction of 20 mammal species in Australia already. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Australian Feral Cats Eat More Than a Million Reptiles Per Day," 26 June 2018 Those measures have also significantly cut the number of fish being lost to bird predation. — Gregory B. Hladky, courant.com, "Hatcheries Try Guns, Nets, Noise To Protect Fish From Invading Birds," 21 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'predation.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.