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
Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
Crappie like to hover below their prey, fining in place and examining slow-swimming invertebrates such as damselfly, dragonfly, and mayfly nymphs, as well as small leeches.
—Cory Schmidt, Outdoor Life, 15 Apr. 2026
That includes ranger patrols, camera traps and concealed acoustic sensors, along with a program aimed at restoring key prey species for jaguars.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
The Sounders capitalize on very specific prey – ghost shrimp – in Puget Sound.
—Daniel Crocker, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
Noun
Because of the intricacies of predator-prey relationships, impacts on individual organisms will ripple across the ecosystem, Grosell said.
—Asuka Koda, CNN Money, 17 Apr. 2026
Crappie like to hover below their prey, fining in place and examining slow-swimming invertebrates such as damselfly, dragonfly, and mayfly nymphs, as well as small leeches.
—Cory Schmidt, Outdoor Life, 15 Apr. 2026
That includes ranger patrols, camera traps and concealed acoustic sensors, along with a program aimed at restoring key prey species for jaguars.
—Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 15 Apr. 2026
The Sounders capitalize on very specific prey – ghost shrimp – in Puget Sound.
—Daniel Crocker, The Conversation, 13 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
Rusting quarries at the mouth of Azusa Canyon.—
Deputy Managing Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Built on a former quarry, there are rocky elevations to traipse up with amazing views of the city, including Sacre Couer in nearby Montmartre.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nataliia had gone to the bus station, where soldiers were spraying foam to contain the nuclear fallout, and to the hospital, where men in white coats were unloading victims on stretchers from the backs of ambulances.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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At the time, Esperanza-Pacheco was working as a pastor at God’s Lighthouse of Truth in Richmond, where the victim and her family were members and had developed a friendship with him.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Ultimately, the scammers appear to use their initial contractor targets as unsuspecting mules for the malware payload.—
Jessica Klein,
PC Magazine,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Iran's president, Masoud Pezeshkian, cited Israel's continued attacks on targets inside Lebanon as a primary source of tension as his country and the United States engaged in peace talks in Islamabad.—
NBC News,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In a social media post, authorities said the drones caused material damage, but no casualties.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Through a detailed examination of footage posted by Israeli soldiers themselves, the film documents potential war crimes, including civilian casualties, torture, and destruction of infrastructure, delivering unprecedented accountability and real-time evidence.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.
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