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
Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 June 2025
For most of human history, women were hauling gear, tracking prey, and walking eight to 10 miles a day —often while pregnant, menstruating, nursing or carrying children (one estimate found that hunter-gatherer women covered more than 3,000 miles in a child’s first four years of life).
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
Phishing often preys on fear and urgency, so be cautious with messages pushing immediate action and verify before responding.
—Bojan Ilic, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
The prey burst, turning spherical and leaking nutrients, which the killers then use to survive and grow.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Noun
As Meta’s announcement correctly notes, passkeys can’t fall prey to phishing scams.
—Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 19 June 2025
For most of human history, women were hauling gear, tracking prey, and walking eight to 10 miles a day —often while pregnant, menstruating, nursing or carrying children (one estimate found that hunter-gatherer women covered more than 3,000 miles in a child’s first four years of life).
—The Washington Post, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 June 2025
Phishing often preys on fear and urgency, so be cautious with messages pushing immediate action and verify before responding.
—Bojan Ilic, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
The prey burst, turning spherical and leaking nutrients, which the killers then use to survive and grow.
—Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
Ugento fell siege to the Romans, and during the second and first centuries B.C., its defenses were incrementally dismantled and reused as quarry for new structures, archaeologists said.—
Irene Wright,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2025
-
Lita Miller who let go of the property for less than 1% of that was not in a position to operate quarry so that sale was not comparable.—
Peter J Reilly,
Forbes.com,
15 June 2025
Noun
-
He was arrested in January 2024 after one of his victims came forward to police.—
Olivia Kemp,
CNN Money,
20 June 2025
-
Many of the victims were retired or near retirement—the IRA piece of the business had appealed to them.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
-
Israeli officials have also suggested that regime change in Iran is among the goals of their war, and that Khamenei could be a target for assassination.—
Colin Meyn,
The Hill,
22 June 2025
-
Countries that have managed to build their own nuclear weapons, such as North Korea, become much harder targets for attacks.—
Matthew Tostevin
Amir Daftari,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 June 2025
Noun
-
Israeli leaders say the system isn’t 100% guaranteed, but credit it with preventing serious damage and countless casualties.—
Christopher Bodeen,
Chicago Tribune,
21 June 2025
-
Iran has not been offering regular death tolls during the conflict and has minimized casualties in the past.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share