prey on
Idioms-
Plunder or pillage; also, make a profit at someone else's expense, victimize. For example, Vikings preyed on the coastal towns of England , or The rich have been preying on the poor for centuries . [Late 1500s]
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Hunt, especially in order to eat, as in Their cat preys on all the rodents in the neighborhood . [c. 1600]
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Exert a baneful or injurious effect, as in Guilt preyed on his mind . [c. 1700]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Westfield said grey seals were known to occasionally prey on smaller harbour porpoises in Welsh waters, but there had not previously been a report involving common dolphins.
From BBC
Dr Izzy Langley, of the Sea Mammal Research Unit at the University of St Andrews, said there was growing evidence grey seals prey on a wider range of marine mammals than previously thought.
From BBC
"Our message is clear, those who prey on our children will pay a hefty price," said US attorney Kelly Hayes for the District of Maryland.
From BBC
“We deal with violations regarding raptors and birds of prey on a relative frequency but I haven’t seen anything to this level of disregard for the animal in quite a while.”
From Los Angeles Times
Harriet also shared the 2023 Collier Prize for State Government Accountability for revealing corruption in California’s legal profession that enabled attorneys to prey on vulnerable clients.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
