predation

noun

pre·​da·​tion pri-ˈdā-shən 

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

So any trait that allows a relatively slow, soft-bodied animal to avoid predation has to be taken seriously. —Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 17 July 2025

Read More: The extraordinarily large eyes of colossal and giant squid, for instance, mean that these enormous creatures can spot a sperm whale from hundreds of meters away, according to research, enabling the squid to avoid predation. —Sean Mowbray, Discover Magazine, 12 June 2025

By the time both sisters head with their chorus to New York, Karolina has become the new target of Vitek’s predation. —Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025

Crops belonging to the nightshade family like potatoes, eggplants, and tomatoes produce these bitter-tasting molecules to help ward off predation by fungi, insects, and other animals. —New Atlas, 29 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English predacion, from Latin praedation-, praedatio, from praedari

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Phrases Containing predation

• predation pressure

Rhymes for predation

• ablation
• bination
• carnation
• cassation
• castration
• causation
• centration
• cessation
• cetacean
• chelation
• citation
• collation

Kids Definition

predation

noun

pre·​da·​tion pri-ˈdā-shən 

: a way of life in which food is obtained mostly by killing and eating animals