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
Animals, like birds and bats, that prey on these mosquitoes appear to have a varied diet and thus would be able to survive without them.
—
Krystal Birungi, semafor.com, 23 June 2025
This is safe for people and wildlife and relatively nontoxic to beneficial insects such as ladybugs that prey on them.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
Many scams—especially romance and emergency fraud—are designed to bypass logic and prey on urgency or loneliness.
—Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The truth is, most phones get compromised not by brute force, but by everyday tricks that prey on users' habits and software gaps.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey on/upon
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Krystal Birungi, semafor.com, 23 June 2025
This is safe for people and wildlife and relatively nontoxic to beneficial insects such as ladybugs that prey on them.
—Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
Many scams—especially romance and emergency fraud—are designed to bypass logic and prey on urgency or loneliness.
—Sandy Carter, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025
The truth is, most phones get compromised not by brute force, but by everyday tricks that prey on users' habits and software gaps.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 4 July 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 24 Jul. 2025.
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