prey on/upon
phrasal verb
preyed on/upon; preying on/upon; preys on/upon
1
: to hunt and kill (something) for food
The wolves prey on small animals.
2
: to hurt, cheat, or steal from (someone)
criminals who prey on lonely elderly people
Examples of prey on/upon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Beyond the companies focused on building physical methods of defense, there is also Abnormal AI (No. 25), a cybersecurity company playing a key role in protecting systems from attacks that prey on human behavioral weaknesses.
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Julia Boorstin, CNBC, 10 June 2025
Asian needle ants prey on other insects and are capable of displacing ant species that are critical for seed dispersal, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 10 June 2025
The state agency advises members of the public not to kill a snake, even a venomous one, explaining that snakes do not prey on humans and will not chase them.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 4 June 2025
The invasive ants are known to prey on other insects and are capable of displacing native ant species that are critical for seed dispersal, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey on/upon
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Julia Boorstin, CNBC, 10 June 2025
Asian needle ants prey on other insects and are capable of displacing ant species that are critical for seed dispersal, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 10 June 2025
The state agency advises members of the public not to kill a snake, even a venomous one, explaining that snakes do not prey on humans and will not chase them.
—Saman Shafiq, USA Today, 4 June 2025
The invasive ants are known to prey on other insects and are capable of displacing native ant species that are critical for seed dispersal, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey on/upon
Cite this Entry
“Prey on/upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prey%20on%2Fupon. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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