1
2
as in victim
a person or thing harmed, lost, or destroyed
he fell prey to nagging—but groundless—doubts about his wife's fidelity
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in target
a person or thing that is the object of abuse, criticism, or ridicule
that woman has a sharp tongue, and her favored prey is her long-suffering husband
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of prey
For example, if subjected to high humidity, potato plants may fall prey to fungal diseases that will weaken them and slow growth.
—
David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 9 Feb. 2026
The 59-year-old grumbled that gladhanding throngs of supporters in dusty villages had left him prey to bugs and viruses.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
In a head-to-head competition foraging for prey in a termite mound, an echidna would easily outperform any human.
—Kevin Omland, The Conversation, 9 Feb. 2026
But last year, one of the state’s 10 resurgent wolf packs became unusually habituated to hunting and eating livestock instead of wild prey.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 9 Feb. 2026
The 59-year-old grumbled that gladhanding throngs of supporters in dusty villages had left him prey to bugs and viruses.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
In a head-to-head competition foraging for prey in a termite mound, an echidna would easily outperform any human.
—Kevin Omland, The Conversation, 9 Feb. 2026
But last year, one of the state’s 10 resurgent wolf packs became unusually habituated to hunting and eating livestock instead of wild prey.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
The quarry’s current head, Vincenzo De Gennaro, reminds visitors that Bernini’s tower still features the coop for the homing pigeons that would transport the orders to the quarry from Rome for the measurements of rocks that were needed.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
-
His dad stacked stone at a quarry.—
Lloyd Blankfein,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Spohr died after being shot once in the head during the burglary at the couple’s Homewood residence on the west shore of Lake Tahoe, the victims’ family has said.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
21 Feb. 2026
-
If pulled out within 15 minutes, the Utah Avalanche Center says, 93% of avalanche victims live.—
Ray Sanchez,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Raytheon also underlined that the StormBreaker weapon’s small size enables the use of fewer aircraft to take out the same number of targets as larger weapons that require multiple jets.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The repeal followed Congress’s zeroing out of penalties for violating Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) targets as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.—
Julian Torres,
CNN Money,
22 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Official casualty figures are kept strictly out of the public gaze, although estimates from multiple sources indicate losses that are eye-wateringly high.—
Matthew Chance,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The bill drew immediate criticism from the Personal Insurance Federation of California, a trade group representing major property and casualty insurers.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 25 Feb. 2026.
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