as in rapacious
living by killing and eating other animals hawks are predatory and pose a danger to rabbits and other pets

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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 predatory The expedition began finding examples of predatory behavior almost immediately, starting with mystery bones seen on the first dive March 2. Mark Price, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2025 Many large predatory fish, including sharks, avoid extreme low-oxygen zones, while some species — like whale sharks — may be better adapted to tolerate them. Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes, 11 Mar. 2025 Critics argue that a cap could restrict credit availability to higher-risk consumers, potentially driving them toward less regulated, more predatory lending practices. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025 The department is currently in charge of federal student loan programs as well as financial aid and protections against predatory lending practices. William Lambers, Newsweek, 8 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for predatory
Recent Examples of Synonyms for predatory
Adjective
  • But providing that service shouldn’t require charging rapacious fees that exploit the most financially vulnerable.
    Jemima McEvoy, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Of abuse and coercion by rapacious family members eager to get their hands on an inheritance.
    Teri Sforza, Orange County Register, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The prison has become a symbol of Bukele's aggressive policies that have targeted gang violence.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Apr. 2025
  • Young has struggled against the Heat’s aggressive defense in recent years.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Biological control: Parasitic wasps, predaceous beetles and birds assist in lowering sawfly populations.
    Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5 Apr. 2025
  • Look for and conserve natural enemies such as predaceous bugs, lacewings, lady beetles, and syrphids.
    The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • Villegas pushed for the original measure after dangerous speeding and red-light running by raptorial tow drivers ended in a nearly catastrophic crash in his ward that saw a bus that had been hit by a tow truck plow through a storefront.
    Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2025
  • Detailed testimonies of refugees along the Balkan route therefore challenge the conventional wisdom that officials tend to protect them from raptorial smugglers.
    Max Abrahms, Foreign Affairs, 22 Mar. 2017
Adjective
  • Listen to this article A woman driver who fatally struck a 57-year-old pedestrian in Brooklyn in January has been arrested— three months after the deadly crash, police said.
    Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025
  • As tensions between India and Pakistan reach a boiling point following a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has publicly offered Tehran's assistance in mediating the crisis.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Niemann, a grandmaster, beat Carlsen in an upset in a 2022 match, leading Carlsen to withdraw from the tournament and setting off wild speculation about whether Niemann could have cheated, though no such allegations were ever proven.
    Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 27 Apr. 2025
  • This ferocious, steep-banked corner possesses a wild 24% gradient, a nod to Spain’s bullfighting heritage.
    Kanzah Maktoum, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The ads target the state House Democrats over taxes and violent crime, as well as women’s and girl’s safety.
    Julia Manchester, The Hill, 22 Apr. 2025
  • Angry Birds: Climate Change and Avian Migration Olivia Box April 3, 2022 Temperature fluctuations throughout the years are affecting bird migration and mating, with sometimes violent results.
    The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 22 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • In other words, if Instagram had even somewhat appeared as a future threat to Facebook or Facebook’s competition, there would have been a ferocious bidding war for Instagram that would have pushed its purchase price far, far above $1 billion.
    John Tamny, Forbes.com, 16 Apr. 2025
  • There’s scenario No. 1: Either Carter, a ferocious All-American pass rusher, or Hunter, a generational wide receiver-cornerback hybrid, is available, and the Patriots can add a premium talent at a position of need in what can only be described as a front-office dream.
    Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 16 Apr. 2025

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“Predatory.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/predatory. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.

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