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.
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Recent Examples of prey
James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
The snakes catch tree-dwelling prey, from small lizards and birds to insects, amphibians and some small mammals, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
For decades, scientists have demonstrated that even tiny differences in leg length between individual lizards can mean the difference between life and death – affecting their ability to escape predators, catch prey and find mates.
—James T. Stroud, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025
Spiders have venom to subdue prey, but the majority have fangs that are too tiny to puncture human skin.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Noun
Kirsta Leeburg Melton, who runs the Institute to Combat Trafficking, told Fox News that while many are recovered swiftly, some can fall prey to criminal exploitation.
—James Bickerton, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
The snakes catch tree-dwelling prey, from small lizards and birds to insects, amphibians and some small mammals, according to the study.
—Irene Wright, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
For decades, scientists have demonstrated that even tiny differences in leg length between individual lizards can mean the difference between life and death – affecting their ability to escape predators, catch prey and find mates.
—James T. Stroud, The Conversation, 13 Oct. 2025
Spiders have venom to subdue prey, but the majority have fangs that are too tiny to puncture human skin.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
Cleveland fell in love with bouldering at a young age, at a quarry near his hometown, his daughter, Amy Cullins, said.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Nearly all of these enormous statues (about 95%) were carved from volcanic tuff sourced from the Rano Raraku quarry.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The victims' identities were not released.—
NPR,
NPR,
13 Oct. 2025
-
Monday’s sentencing marks the end of a years-long legal battle between Laffitte and his victims, after Laffitte was reportedly the first to face federal charges as investigators looked to take down the Murdaugh empire.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Then, the scammers build fake profiles on Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat, which includes sending friend requests to people in the target's social media network to give the appearance of mutual friends.—
Molly Beck,
jsonline.com,
14 Oct. 2025
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Ukraine has long sought more air defense as Russia has heavily relied on drone and missile assaults to pound civilian targets, including residential buildings, schools as well as maternity and children’s hospitals, since the onslaught of the war.—
Caitlin McFall,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Among the casualties are the region’s rich kelp forests, which contribute upwards of $52 billion to the global economy and sequester nearly a megaton of carbon from the atmosphere every year.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
17 Oct. 2025
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One casualty was Palestinian journalist Saleh Aljafarawi, 28, who had covered the war; he was reportedly shot by a militia and buried the same day his brother Naji was released from an Israeli prison under the exchange deal.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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