Definition of prey - Reverso English Dictionary
Verb
1.
animal huntinghunt and kill other animals for food
- Lions prey on zebras in the wild.
2.
emotioncause persistent worry or distress
- The thought of the exam preyed on her mind.
3.
exploitationRare take advantage of others for personal gainRare
- Scammers prey on the elderly for money.
Noun
1.
wildlifeanimal hunted or caught for food
- The lion chased its prey across the savannah.
2.
victimizationvictim of exploitation or attack
- Scammers often see the elderly as easy prey..
Images of prey

animal hunted or caught for food
Expressions with prey
💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
person easily deceived or exploited
Scammers often target the elderly as easy prey.
hunt and eat another animal
Lions prey on zebras in the wild.
hunt and kill for food
Lions prey upon zebras and other herbivores in the wild..
suffer from or be controlled by something bad
She was a prey to anxiety before the exam.
be easily harmed or affected by something bad
She was prey to anxiety during exams.
occupy someone's thoughts persistently
The unsolved mystery preyed on his mind for years.
become victim to someone or something
Many small businesses fall prey to high taxation rates..
creeping close to quarry, or following it persistently
The narrator described the stalking the prey behavior of young lions.
carnivorous animal that hunts other animals for food
The lion, a classic beast of prey, stalks its victim silently..
carnivorous bird with strong talons and a hooked bill
A bird of prey soared above the field.
Origin of prey
Latin, praeda (booty)
Terms with prey included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
spider trap
web spun by spiders to catch prey
animal
to search for prey in groups
birds
large bird of prey with sharp eyesight and powerful flight
animal
bird of prey with sharp eyesight and curved beak
wildlife
large North American bird of prey with a white head
raptor
bird of prey with long wings and a hooked beak
animal
bird of prey with long wings and tail
night raptor
nocturnal bird of prey with large eyes and a flat face
attack suddenly
spring forward suddenly to catch prey
wildlife
bird of prey with reddish-brown body
ocean
wild situation with sharks attacking prey
hunting
use a decoy or bait to attract prey
conflict of interest
situation where a predator is in charge of prey
wildlife
nocturnal bird of prey known for its hooting call
hunting
natural tendency to hunt and kill prey
stealthy search
move stealthily in search of prey or plunder
animal
large bird of prey living near water
bird
hawk believed to prey on chickens
animal
snake that kills by squeezing its prey
spider's web
net-like structure made by spiders to catch prey
bird's claw
sharp claw of a bird of prey
bird
large Australian bird of prey with a wedge-shaped tail
hunting
hunt using trained birds of prey
angler fish
fish with a wormlike filament for luring prey
Examples of prey in a sentence
Wolves often prey on deer during winter. Worries about the future preyed on his thoughts. The guilt preyed on her conscience. Predators prey on the weak in the wild. Fraudsters prey on people's fears during crises. The eagle spotted its prey from high above.
In the wild, prey must always be vigilant. The company targeted small businesses as their prey. Online predators seek out young children as prey.
View all translations of prey
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:chasser, proie, ...
- German:jagen, Beute, ...
- Italian:predare, preda, ...
- Spanish:cazar, presa, ...
- Portuguese:caçar, presa, ...
- Chinese:捕食, 猎物, ...
- Japanese:狩る, 獲物, ...
- Arabic:افْتَرَسَ, فَرِيسَة, ...
- Hebrew:לִטְרוֹף, טֶרֶף, ...
- Russian:охотиться, добыча, ...
- Ukrainian:полювати, здобич, ...
- Hindi:शिकार करना, शिकार, ...
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