predated; predating; predates
: to prey on (something or someone)
Animals predate other animals in nature, but that is hardly commensurate with a massive worldwide farming industry that breeds species purely for our purpose.—
Jenny Diski
Jenny DiskiAre high-profile men that sexually predate women finally starting to lose immunity?—Alex McKinnon
Alex McKinnonAll cats may predate but those living indoors have little opportunity to do so.—Kevin Stafford
Kevin StaffordThere are many species that predate on pigeons and doves.—Revati
RevatiExamples of predate in a Sentence
Verb (1)
modes of transportation that predate the car
the native people who predated European settlers in America
Recent Examples on the Web
Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 20 May 2026
Economists at the New York Fed published their own analysis the same day, concluding that overall AI exposure shows little link to declining job postings—and the drop in postings for high-exposure roles actually predated ChatGPT entirely.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 May 2026
While its original structure predated Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem on land captured from Jordan in 1967, Abu Diab later added rooms to accommodate his growing family.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 19 May 2026
They’re called heirlooms because their seeds predate the grim march of industrial hybridization.
—Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 May 2026
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Verb
Which is to say that topology predates topological spaces.
—Konstantin Kakaes, Quanta Magazine, 20 May 2026
Economists at the New York Fed published their own analysis the same day, concluding that overall AI exposure shows little link to declining job postings—and the drop in postings for high-exposure roles actually predated ChatGPT entirely.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 19 May 2026
While its original structure predated Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem on land captured from Jordan in 1967, Abu Diab later added rooms to accommodate his growing family.
—Eleanor Beardsley, NPR, 19 May 2026
They’re called heirlooms because their seeds predate the grim march of industrial hybridization.
—Emily Saladino, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for predate
Cite this Entry
“Predate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predate. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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predate
verb
pre·date
(ˈ)prē-ˈdāt 
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