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prey Definition

prey (prā)

noun

  1. Archaic plunder; booty
  2. an animal hunted or killed for food by another animal
  3. a person or thing that falls victim to someone or something
  4. the mode of living by preying on other animals a bird of prey

Etymology: ME preye < OFr preie < L praeda < base of prehendere, to seize: see prehensile

intransitive verb

  1. to plunder; rob
  2. to hunt or kill other animals for food
  3. to make profit from a victim as by swindling
  4. to have a wearing or harmful influence; weigh heavily

prey Related Forms

preyer noun

prey Synonyms

prey

n.

prey Usage Examples

Object

mantis: Still think she should have let the preying mantis have him.

Converse of object

  • fall: The outlook for cats which fall prey to the severe disease is very poor.
  • devour: Whatever emotion they experience when finding and devouring prey we can be certain it isn't remorse.
  • hunt: Like hunted prey, their eyes brim with fear.
  • catch: They do not use their tongues to catch prey in water, relying instead on their minute teeth to grab onto the prey.
  • capture: Penguins generally feed on prey captured near the surface, either close to shore or near the edge of pack ice.
  • crush: The palps are developed into strong pincers equipped with sharp teeth and spines, which are used for catching and crushing prey.

Preposition: for

predator: The creatures would then suffer a slow death through dehydration and starvation, or become easy prey for predators.

Adjective modifier

  • unsuspecting: Water is expelled through the gills creating a vacuum, which sucks the unsuspecting prey in to its doom.
  • invertebrate: Predicting the effects of marine climate change on the invertebrate prey of the birds of rocky shores.
  • easy: Vise versa, the basic Dutch channels are still easy prey for pirate satellite tv.

Preposition: on

  • rodent: The animals slain fulfilled a key role in the ecological food web, by preying on rodents.
  • entrepreneur: Preying on entrepreneurs who arrived or neither of the.
  • insect: Other farmers encourage the presence of spiders and frogs on their farms, to prey on insects that harm their plants.

Noun used with modifier

  • insect: Their aerial flying displays they catch their insect prey on the wing are amazing to watch.
  • predator: A talk which looks at population dynamics, predator prey relationships and factors ( biotic and abiotic ) affecting animal populations.

Followed by an intransitive particle

upon: The very thought of being preyed upon by such creatures is often sufficient to encourage immediate action to control them.

Modifies a noun

  • specie: How does hunting success vary with prey species population size?
  • abundance: Current factors causing loss or decline Reductions in insect prey abundance, especially loss of old pasture due to high intensity agricultural systems.
  • species: Hunting with dogs does not result in pain or suffering for the prey species.

Browse dictionary entries near prey

  1. prexy
  2. prewar
  3. prevue
  4. prevocational
  5. prevocalic
  6. prevision
  7. previse
  8. previously
  9. previous question
  10. previous
  1. prey on
  2. Prez
  3. PRI
  4. Prial, FrankJ
  5. Priam
  6. priapic
  7. priapism
  8. Priapus
  9. Pribilof Islands
  10. price