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
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Recent Examples of prey
Pterosaurs were prehistoric predators that dominated the skies with pointed snouts that could catch prey on the move or from the water, according to National Geographic.
—
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
These attacks often result from mistaken identity, as swimmers may be misidentified as prey, especially when wearing jewelry or making sudden movements.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
After its patriarch’s mysterious death, the pharma family falls prey to an ancient curse.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025
This term means actively looking for casual romantic encounters, like a shark circling prey.
—Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
These attacks often result from mistaken identity, as swimmers may be misidentified as prey, especially when wearing jewelry or making sudden movements.
—Soo Kim, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025
After its patriarch’s mysterious death, the pharma family falls prey to an ancient curse.
—Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 24 Sep. 2025
This term means actively looking for casual romantic encounters, like a shark circling prey.
—Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 24 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
The Crotch quarries used to have some fifteen hundred workers.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
-
The Aswan region of stone quarries was the source of some of Egypt’s most famous monuments and the site of long-term power struggles with Kush.—
Vanessa Taylor,
Big Think,
25 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management said in a statement that 77 victims were taken to hospitals for treatment.—
Britt Clennett,
ABC News,
30 Sep. 2025
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To Dan Gilleon, who represented many of Fischer’s victims in civil court, those cases are evidence of how much higher the true public costs of litigation against the county are.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Many of these hospitals and clinics became the target of protests or bomb threats.—
Jacob Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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Jezero's altitude rules it out as a target, however.—
Andrew Jones,
Space.com,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Israeli military has acknowledged firing warning shots toward crowds in some instances and denied responsibility for other casualties near aid hubs.—
Soph Warnes,
CNN Money,
2 Oct. 2025
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Separately, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières said that as Port-au-Prince plunges deeper into crisis marked by violent clashes between police and armed groups, the charity’s doctors are seeing a rise in the number of civilian casualties at its facilities.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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