predatory
adjective
pred·a·to·ry
ˈpre-də-ˌtȯr-ē 
1
a
: of, relating to, or practicing plunder, pillage, or rapine
b
: inclined or intended to injure or exploit others for personal gain or profit
predatory pricing practices
2
: living by predation : predaceous
also
: adapted to predation
Examples of predatory in a Sentence
Hawks are predatory and may pose a danger to rabbits and other small pets.
The company made millions for investors but clearly engaged in predatory lending practices.
Recent Examples on the Web
Those who tried were often steered into predatory land contracts — unregulated deals that offered none of the protections of a real mortgage and were designed to fail.
—
Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
No, and whether the overall gacha model is predatory and whether a gacha game can be good and fun are two different things.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
But in a 7-4 vote Wednesday, most Democrats on the council's Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee rejected the fines as potentially discriminatory and predatory, particularly against lower-income households whose children face challenges that could make curfew violations more common.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 28 Aug. 2025
The loose age restriction is raising some concerns—namely that the messaging feature could be misused either by teenagers who send inappropriate content to each other, or by predatory users who want access to underage individuals.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predatory
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Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 31 Aug. 2025
No, and whether the overall gacha model is predatory and whether a gacha game can be good and fun are two different things.
—Paul Tassi, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025
But in a 7-4 vote Wednesday, most Democrats on the council's Public Safety and Criminal Justice Committee rejected the fines as potentially discriminatory and predatory, particularly against lower-income households whose children face challenges that could make curfew violations more common.
—Jordan Smith, IndyStar, 28 Aug. 2025
The loose age restriction is raising some concerns—namely that the messaging feature could be misused either by teenagers who send inappropriate content to each other, or by predatory users who want access to underage individuals.
—Elisabeth Sherman, Parents, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predatory
Cite this Entry
“Predatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predatory. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predatory
adjective
pred·a·to·ry
ˈpred-ə-ˌtōr-ē
-ˌtȯr-
1
: of, relating to, or marked by robbing or using others for personal gain
predatory raids
2
: living by predation
predatory animals
Legal Definition
predatory
adjective
pred·a·to·ry
ˈpre-də-ˌtōr-ē
1
: inclined or intended to injure competitors by unfair means
subject to antitrust liability for predatory conduct—National Law Journal
National Law Journalpredatory bidding
2
: inclined or intended to injure or exploit others for personal gain or profit
predatory loans
3
: of or relating to a sexual predator
predatory assault
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