prey 1 of 2

prey (on or upon)

2 of 2

verb

as in to feed (on, upon, or off)
to seize and eat (something) as prey a fox has been preying on the chickens

Synonyms & Similar Words

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
Noun
As for its behavior, Lopez says there’s a chance the swordfish was hunting, using its long bill as a means to stun its prey, making for an easier catch. Paloma Chavez, Sacbee.com, 2 Sep. 2025 These differences, the authors posit in their recent publication, likely reflects a combination of temperature, foraging strategy, prey availability, and distance from shore. Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025 Great cornerbacks are football’s tawny owls, the biggest of the big-game hunters, dogging prey through darkness and chaos. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 31 Aug. 2025 This light, which the fireflies use to attract mates, acts as a lure for other prey. Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
  • McNally also played with the idea that the older man trying to catch Frank was, at least in this warped universe, a kind of surrogate father who developed genuine affection for his quarry.
    Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
  • Sand is being shipped from a quarry in Palm Springs to San Clemente’s North Beach, a test case to see how the desert grains hold up at the shore.
    Laylan Connelly, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The victims said the thief stole close to $60,000 in cash and dozens of checks that were inside the box.
    Natalie Neysa Alund, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the victim as Daniella Weisman from Glencoe, a spokesperson confirms to PEOPLE.
    Jillian Frankel, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Not in our communities, but protecting assets & high priority targets downtown so that our @Chicago_Police don’t have to babysit the Bean or Buckingham Fountain for eight hours a day.
    Terry Collins, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The fear of becoming a target will often be enough to induce compliance in advance.
    Steve Chapman, Chicago Tribune, 3 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • A number of foreign nationals are also among the casualties and injured, local officials said.
    Hannah Parry, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
  • Russia needs men, and North Korea is possibly the only country that can afford in a political sense to send its own people to fight in a war that has been marked by an enormously high casualty rate on the Russian side.
    Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025

Cite this Entry

“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

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