prey: Meaning and Definition of
prey
Pronunciation: (prā), [key]
— n.
- an animal hunted or seized for food, esp. by a carnivorous animal.
- a person or thing that is the victim of an enemy, a swindler, a disease, etc.; gull.
- the action or habit of preying: a beast of prey.
- booty or plunder.
—v.i.
- to seize and devour prey, as an animal does (usually fol. by on or upon): Foxes prey on rabbits.
- to make raids or attacks for booty or plunder: The Vikings preyed on coastal settlements.
- to exert a harmful or destructive influence: His worries preyed upon his mind.
- to victimize another or others (usually fol. by on or upon): loan sharks that prey upon the poor.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.