1
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
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Recent Examples of prey
But last year, one of the state’s 10 resurgent wolf packs became unusually habituated to hunting and eating livestock instead of wild prey.
—
Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Professional groups can fall prey to groupthink, new evidence can reverse previous recommendations, and there is always an element of uncertainty that should be acknowledged.
—Robert M. Califf, STAT, 6 Feb. 2026
Alex arrives to find Lucy literally quaking in fear, especially when Stephen summons the two of them to come meet his latest prey, whose name is Tegan.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2026
Some fish, for instance, may be determined to exploit the octopus’s efforts, such as trying to snatch prey that the octopus has uncovered but not yet captured.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
Professional groups can fall prey to groupthink, new evidence can reverse previous recommendations, and there is always an element of uncertainty that should be acknowledged.
—Robert M. Califf, STAT, 6 Feb. 2026
Alex arrives to find Lucy literally quaking in fear, especially when Stephen summons the two of them to come meet his latest prey, whose name is Tegan.
—Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 3 Feb. 2026
Some fish, for instance, may be determined to exploit the octopus’s efforts, such as trying to snatch prey that the octopus has uncovered but not yet captured.
—Scott Travers, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
A couple and two children died Thursday night when their shanty was hit by a landslide in a quarry area that was set off by torrential rain in a village in southern Cagayan de Oro city, Office of Civil Defense regional director Antonio Sugarol said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Feb. 2026
-
The hotel features zero-kilometer materials, including Dolomia stone from Val Belluna quarries and larch wood, typical of Ampezzano construction.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Family members of the shooting victims cried as the sentence was handed down.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The victim was taken to Hartford Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, according to state police.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The last four months of 2025 also saw a surge in incidents of direct fire at all targets from Israeli positions on both sides of the Blue Line, the report says.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Additionally, Mohan emphasized Western Digital’s revised long-term growth targets.—
TipRanks,
CNBC,
8 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
By Ukrainian estimates, every square kilometer that Russia occupies costs its military more than 100 soldiers, either dead or gravely wounded, while its average monthly casualties add up to as many as 35,000 troops.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026
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Calhoun County Emergency Management declared the crash a mass casualty incident because of the number of injuries, according to a news release posted on Facebook.—
Kyle Werner,
Des Moines Register,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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