Meaning

That which is or may be seized by animals to be devoured..

Definitions by Sense

1. That which is or may be seized by animals to be devoured.
2. A person or thing given up as a victim.
3. A living thing, usually an animal, that is eaten by another living thing.
4. (archaic) Anything, such as goods, etc., taken or got by violence; something taken by force from an enemy in war.
5. (archaic) The act of devouring other creatures; ravage.
6. The victim of a disease.
7. (intransitive) To act as a predator.

Example Sentences

The deer became prey to the lion.

Already sees herself the monster's prey.

[The helmsman] steered with no end of a swagger while you were by; but if he lost sight of you, he became instantly the prey of an abject funk […]

Being so inflexible, the railway was easy prey to road competition, and the arrival of unregulated lorry transport from farm fields to town centres quickly captured all locally generated business.

The rabbit was eaten by the coyote, so the rabbit is the coyote's prey.

Stranded without any weapons, we made very easy prey.

The old lion perisheth for lack of prey.

Nonetheless, some insect prey take advantage of clutter by hiding in it. Earless ghost swift moths become “invisible” to echolocating bats by forming mating clusters close (less than half a meter) above vegetation and effectively blending into the clutter of echoes that the bat receives from the leaves and stems around them.

Word Forms

• preys
• preying
• preyed

Synonyms for prey 2

Related Words

When Should You Use Prey 2?

Use prey 2 when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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