prey

noun

ˈprā How to pronounce prey (audio)
Definition of preynext
1
as in quarry
an animal that is hunted or killed rabbits are common prey for owls and hawks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of prey Indiana bats navigate and find insect prey by producing sound waves at frequencies above human hearing, experts say. — Mark Price june 28, Charlotte Observer, 28 June 2026 Many individuals fall prey to emotional pitfalls like fear, greed, or shame, leading to impulsive spending, credit card debt, and neglecting long-term goals like retirement. — Bygabriel Shahin, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026 At the latter speed the animal’s turning radius would be 52 meters, and a 180-degree turn would take six seconds complete, far too long and much too slow to be of any use in capturing a quick-turning prey. — Literary Hub, 22 June 2026 Angèle, the makeup artist, has been writing a real-life account of her observations at work, and her writings apostrophize the action, most extensively during a climactic scene in which the staging of the runway show falls prey to bad weather. — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
  1. quarry
  2. victim
  3. target
  4. casualty
Noun
  • Kansas Citians used sandbags, broken concrete, mounds of dirt and rocks from local quarries, and junked cars to shore up the levees protecting Municipal Airport and North Kansas City.
    — Kansas City Public Library staff, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026
  • Next month Ramsay and her family will return to the quarry to lay fresh flowers on her son’s anniversary.
    — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 28 June 2026
Definition of quarry
Noun
  • The families of the victims said the pain is still as raw to this day.
    — Madisen Keavy, CBS News, 2 July 2026
  • Most of the victims lived nearby, and funeral prayers were expected later Tuesday.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 July 2026
Definition of victim
Noun
  • The Angels’ lucky Pikachu might not be a trade target going into the deadline.
    — Liana Handler Follow, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
  • Spurs have approached this summer window with a determination to back their head coach, and to be ruthless and decisive in their pursuit of targets.
    — Mark Critchley, New York Times, 4 July 2026
Definition of target
Noun
  • New reads abound for your vacation tote throughout the weeks of July, with fiction picks featuring a Carnival cruise casualty, a highly entertaining jewel heist at the Waldorf-Astoria, and a Soviet-era madcap adventure.
    — Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Ukrainian forces have suffered 525,000 to 625,000 casualties, including 125,000 to 150,000 deaths, the study said.
    — Chris Boccia, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Definition of casualty

Phrases Containing prey

Browse Nearby Words

previsions
prey
preyed (on or upon)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on prey

Nglish: Translation of prey for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about prey

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All