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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prey
The technique is used to temporarily paralyze the shark, enabling the whales to extract the prey’s liver.
—
Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2025
That subsequently caused a crash in those species’ main prey — like small fish and small sharks — according to research published in Frontiers in Marine Science earlier this year.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2025
The Bills often fall prey to the run.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2025
While scientists had previously seen orcas attack great whites, the killer whales mainly targeted adults, both for a larger meal and to get rid of competition for the same prey.
—Ashley Balzer Vigil, Scientific American, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 3 Nov. 2025
That subsequently caused a crash in those species’ main prey — like small fish and small sharks — according to research published in Frontiers in Marine Science earlier this year.
—Evan Bush, NBC news, 3 Nov. 2025
The Bills often fall prey to the run.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 2 Nov. 2025
While scientists had previously seen orcas attack great whites, the killer whales mainly targeted adults, both for a larger meal and to get rid of competition for the same prey.
—Ashley Balzer Vigil, Scientific American, 2 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
Vande Kolk kept the conversation light and continued to engage, not wanting to scare off his quarry.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Former houses were demolished and repurposed into quarries, graveyards and workshops.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The title especially stings for the many survivors of violence and persecution under Suharto’s rule – and the families of his victims.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
-
In an email, Victoria Police confirmed the victims were a 33-year-old woman and a 7-year-old boy from Doveton.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
For English language arts, which includes reading, writing, speaking and listening, the district came one percentage point shy of the state average, with 49% of students meeting their individualized growth targets.—
Dmitry Martirosov,
Arkansas Online,
12 Nov. 2025
-
DeVonta Smith is the top target for Hurts with 44 receptions for 588 yards and two scores, while tight end Dallas Goedert has seven TD catches.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Britain ultimately lost not only because of Washington’s extraordinary tenacity in the war’s several mainland theaters, but also because the king’s men had to stage long sieges, wage desperate naval battles, and take mounting casualties on too many other fronts spread too far apart.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
-
While casualties include both Christians and Muslims, and most Boko Haram and ISWAP operations take place in majority-Muslim areas, both groups often emphasize the targeting of Christians in their respective messaging.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 15 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share