Prey

Definition: Prey

Prey

Noun

1. A person who is the victim of ridicule or exploitation by some hostile person or influence; "he fell prey to muggers"; "everyone was fair game".

2. Animal hunted or caught for food.

Verb

1. Profit from in an exploitatory manner; "He feeds on her insecurity".

2. Prey on or hunt for.

Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
 

Date "prey" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1010. (references)

Synonyms: Prey

Booty

Noun: booty, spoil, plunder, prize, loot, swag, pickings; spolia opima, prey; blackmail; stolen goods.

Dejection

Melancholy as a gib cat; oppressed with melancholy, a prey to melancholy; downcast, downhearted; down in the mouth, down in one;s luck; heavy-hearted; in the dumps, down in the dumps, in the suds, in the sulks, in the doldrums; in doleful dumps, in bad humor; sullen; mumpish, dumpish, mopish, moping; moody, glum; sulky; (discontented); out of sorts, out of humor, out of heart, out of spirits; ill at ease, low spirited, in low spirits, a cup too low; weary; discouraged, disheartened; desponding; chapfallen, chopfallen, jaw fallen, crest fallen.

Depress; discourage, dishearten; dispirit; damp, dull, deject, lower, sink, dash, knock down, unman, prostrate, break one's heart; frown upon; cast a gloom, cast a shade on; sadden; damp one's hopes, dash one's hopes, wither one's hopes; weigh on the mind, lie heavy on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, lie heavy on the spirits, prey on the spirits; damp the spirits, depress the spirits.

Excitation

Absorb, rivet the attention; sink into the mind, sink into the heart; prey on the mind, distract; intoxicate; overwhelm, overpower; bouleverser, upset, turn one's head.

Failure

Limp, halt, hobble, titubate; fall, tumble; lose one's balance; fall to the ground, fall between two stools; flounder, falter, stick in the mud, run aground, split upon a rock; beat one's head against a stone wall, run one's head against a stone wall, knock one's head against a stone wall, dash one's head against a stone wall; break one's back; break down, sink, drown, founder, have the ground cut from under one; get into trouble, get into a mess, get into a scrape; come to grief; (adversity); go to the wall, go to the dogs, go to pot; lick the dust, bite the dust; be defeated; have the worst of it, lose the day, come off second best, lose; fall a prey to; succumb; (submit); not have a leg to stand on.

Fear

Haunt; prey on the mind, weigh on the mind.

Food

Food, pabulum; aliment, nourishment, nutriment; sustenance, sustentation, sustention; nurture, subsistence, provender, corn, feed, fodder, provision, ration, keep, commons, board; commissariat; (provision); prey, forage, pasture, pasturage; fare, cheer; diet, dietary; regimen; belly timber, staff of life; bread, bread and cheese.

Intention

Quintain; prey, quarry, game.

Pain

Sufferer, victim, prey, martyr, object of compassion, wretch, shorn lamb.

Heavy laden, stricken, crushed, a prey to, victimized, ill-used.

Haunt the memory; weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits; bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave; add a nail to one's coffin.

Concerned, sorry; sorrowing, sorrowful; cut up, chagrined, horrified, horror-stricken; in grief, plunged in grief, a prey to grief; Noun: in tears; (lamenting); steeped to the lips in misery; heart-stricken, heart-broken, heart-scalded; broken-hearted; in despair.

Regret

Prey on the mind, weigh on the mind, have a weight on the mind; leave an aching void.

Severity

Tyrant, disciplinarian, precisian, martinet, stickler, bashaw, despot, hard master, Draco, oppressor, inquisitor, extortioner, harpy, vulture; accipitres, birds of prey, raptorials, raptors.

Subjection

Verb: be subject; Adjective: be at the mercy of, lie at the mercy of; depend upon, lean upon, hang upon; fall a prey to, fall under; play second fiddle.

Crosswords: Prey

There are as many forms of vampire as there are beasts of prey! (Kronos; writing credit: Brian Clemens)

He's got the look of both predator and prey. (Tombstone; writing credit: Kevin Jarre)

You sift through the detritus, you read the terrain, you search for signs of passing, for the scent of your prey and then you hunt them down. (Heat; writing credit: Michael Mann)

Search for this night's prey. Who will it be? (The Rules of Attraction; writing credit: Roger Avary)

Appreciate your prey. (Queen of the Damned; writing credit: Scott Abbott)

Stalks his prey in the night (Eye Of The Tiger; performing artist: Survivor)

For fallin' prey to crime (Waterfalls; performing artist: TLC)

Birds of Prey (1973)

The Naked Prey (1966)

Birds of Prey (1930)

The Prey of the Dragon (1921)

Powers That Prey (1918)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Books

• Mind Prey (reference)

• Shadow Prey (reference)

• Silent Prey (reference)

• Winter Prey (reference)

  (more book examples)

Periodicals

• Birds Of Prey (reference)

  (more periodical examples)

Theater & Movies

• Beautiful Prey (reference)

• Devil's Prey (reference)

• Rossini - II Barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville) / Abbado, Prey, Berganza, Alva (reference)

• Amazing Animals Video: Birds of Prey (reference)

  (more DVD examples; more video examples)

Music

• Calls of Bird Prey (reference)

  (more classical music examples; more popular music examples)

High Tech

• Primal Prey (reference)

  (more camera examples; more video game examples; more computer examples; more electronic examples; more software examples)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Tuna hooked by pole and line fishing makes easy prey for an opportunistic shark. Credit: Fisheries.

Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve. The Hooded Nudibranch, Melibe leonina, is also called the Lion Nudibranch. This mollusk is almost transparent with a slight yellowish-green cast. Unlike other nudibranchs, Melibe have no radula and M. Leonina has no jaws. It uses its oral hood, lined with 2 rows of tentacles to capture prey. Found in offshore kelpbeds and eelgrass meadows. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR).

Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Eastern milksnake - Lampropeltis triangulum triangulum. This snake is a constrictor and kills its prey by exerting sufficient pressure to stop its breathing. Credit: National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR).

School of myctophid midwater fish are important prey for game fish. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).

Northern anchovies are important prey for marine mammals and game fish. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).

Jellyfish and their plankton prey concentrate along invisible water boundaries. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).

Nassau grouper ambushes its prey on Caribbean coral reefs. Epinephelus striatus. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP).

Having glued a hapless whitefly to a leaf, the big-eyed bug can devour its prey at its leisure. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Jack Dykinga..

Roping down to Eagle nest after mother has leftSwan FallsBirds of Prey National Conservation AreaBOPOwyhee Field OfficeLSRDLower Snake River District. Credit: Unknown.

Climbing into Eagle Eyrie in Swan FallsBirds of Prey National Conservation AreaBOPOwyhee Field OfficeLSRDLower Snake River District. Credit: Unknown.

Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

But in beasts of prey the conjunction lasts longer: because the dam not being able well to subsist herself, and nourish her numerous off-spring by her own prey alone, a more laborious, as well as more dangerous way of living, than by feeding on grass, the assistance of the male is necessary to the maintenance of their common family, which cannot subsist till they are able to prey for themselves, but by the joint care of male and female. (Second Treatise of Government)

But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey of hostile powers. (reference)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

A bit like a preying mantis that doesn't prey -- a non-preying mantis if you like.

When a shot struck down Marius, Jean Valjean bounded with the agility of a tiger, dropped upon him as upon a prey, and carried him away.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

Health

Children with LAD are prey to severe infections caused by bacteria and fungi, especially infections of the soft tissues. (references)

With too few T cells, or T cells that are not functioning properly (which means B cells dependent on T cells aren't functioning, either), the child falls prey to infection. (references)

Persons also can become directly infected through handling infected rodents, rabbits, or wild carnivores that prey on these animals, when plague bacteria enter through breaks in the person's skin. House cats also are susceptible to plague. (references)

Children

Congo

The children were not known to suffer from targeted abuse by government authorities or vigilante groups; however, they were vulnerable to sexual exploitation and often fell prey to criminal elements including drug smugglers. (references)

Human Rights

Cambodia

During the year, the Ministry of Interior was slow to investigate allegations by the UNHCHR of torture and severe abuse of individuals in detention in various parts of the country, including one case in July in Prey Veng province when police beat a prisoner to death. (references)

Cambodia

There were numerous allegations of beatings of prisoners in police custody, including one case in Prey Veng province in July in which police beat a prisoner to death. (references)

Travel

Russia

Traffic police sometimes stop motorists to levy cash "fines," and bandits occasionally prey on travelers, especially in isolated areas. (references)

Worker Rights

Brazil

Young women who fall prey to trafficking schemes are typically between 18 and 27 years old, come from low-income families, and usually have not finished high school. (references)

Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references.

He hastens to the prey

Expressions using "prey": a prey to ♦ be a prey ♦ beast of prey ♦ beasts of prey ♦ become a prey to ♦ bird of prey ♦ birds of prey ♦ diurnal birds of prey ♦ fall a prey ♦ fall a prey to ♦ fall a prey to despair ♦ fall prey ♦ let smth. prey on one's mind ♦ prey on ♦ prey on one's mind ♦ prey on the mind ♦ prey on the spirits ♦ prey upon ♦ prey upon one's mind ♦ sand prey ♦ To prey on ♦ to prey upon. Additional references.

Beginning with "prey": prey-but, prey-capture, prey-catchers, prey-catching, prey-concealed, prey-hunting, prey-killing, prey-movement, prey-rich.

Ending with "prey": bird-of-prey, plant-of-prey, predator-prey, predator-to-prey, super-prey.

Afrikaans

roofdier (beast of prey). (various references)

Albanian

pre (booty, chase, loot, quarry, ravin, spoil, swag, victim), viktimë (casualty, dupe, sufferer, underdog, victim), grabis (break in, burgle, hold up, pillage, pirate, pluck, plunder, prey upon, Rob, steal), gjuaj (aim, chase, Chevy, hit, Hunt, prey upon, shoot, sling, strike, throw), gjah (battue, catch, chase, chivy, coursing, game, Hunt, hunting, shooting, sport), dëmtoj shëndetin (prey upon), bëj pre (loot, prey upon). (various references)

Arabic 

‏فريسة (victim), ‏كان ضحية, ‏قضم (bite, bite into, bite nails, bite off, biting, champ, chew, crush, gnaw, munch, nibble, snap, worry at), ‏حيوان مفترس, ‏غنيمة (booty, capture, haul, loot, plunder, prize, spoil, swag, take, trophy), ‏طير جارح (bird of prey, predatory), ‏ضحية (black sheep, fall guy, martyr, patsy, sacrifice, sinister, sufferer, victim), ‏صيد (catch, chase, hunt, hunting, shooting), ‏إفتراس, ‏أصبح ضحية, ‏دمر (annihilate, blast, break down, demolish, desolate, destroy, devastate, flatten, immolate, overthrow, pull down, pulverize, ravage, ruin, smash, subvert, unbuild, wrack, wreck). (various references)

Bulgarian 

тормозя (badger, bait, bedevil, bully, chivy, excruciate, fret, harass, hunt down, jade, murder, persecute, pester, pick on, plague, play up, push, put upon, rack, rag, ride, scourge, worry), гнетя (cast down, depress, gripe, oppress, weigh down), ограбвам (amass by robbery, fleece, loot, mug, pill, pillage, plunder, pull, rip off), жертва (casualty, fall guy, fool, immolation, mug, oblation, offering, patsy, sacrifice, victim), живея на гърба на (sponge on), потискам (clamp, depress, domineer, drive back, flatten, get down, grind, gripe, inhibit, mope, muffle, oppress, persecute, pocket, press in, quell, quench, repress, suppress, throttle, tyrannize, weigh down), плячкосвам (despoil, loot, pill, pillage, plunder, ravish, rifle, sack, spoil), плячка (booty, fish, haul, kill, loot, pillage, plunderage, prize, quarry, ravin, spoil, spoils, swag, trophy), измъчвам (afflict, agonize, ail, anguish, crucify, excruciate, fester, harass, lacerate, martyr, martyrize, play up, push, rack, rankle, ride, scourge, smite, torture, try, victimize, weigh on), измамвам (abuse, befool, beguile, catch, chisel, chouse, clip, cross, dash, defraud, diddle, fix, flam, fob, fool, gaff, go back on, green, gull, hijack, kid, mislead, mock, nobble, overreach, play false, pluck, pull a fast one, put across, put on, screw, sell, shaft, short-change, slip over, spoof, swindle, take for a ride, take in, trick, trim), изигравам (bamboozle, cheat, con, diddle, do smb., fob, hoodwink, let in, milk, outwit, play out, sell, skin, skunk, suck in, trepan, trick, trim). (various references)

Chinese 

牺牲者, 獵物 . (various references)

Czech

okrádat, kořistit, kořist (booty, haul, loot, plunder, quarry, spoil, trophy). (various references)

Danish

fangst (capture, catch), bytte (booty). (various references)

Dutch

prooi (accession, acquisition, asset, gain), vangst (capture, catch), gevangenneming (capture, catch), buit (accession, acquisition, asset, booty, capture, catch, gain). (various references)

Esperanto

predo, kapto (catch), kaptaĵo. (various references)

Faeroese

rán, herfongur, fongur. (various references)

Farsi 

نخجیر (Hunt), قربانی (Sacrifice, Victim), طعمه کردن (Victimize), طعمه (Victim), صیدکردن (Hunt), صید (Predatin, Quarry, Raven), شکار (Chase-Chace, Game, Hank, Hunt, Predatin, Quarry, Raven, Victim), دستخوش ساختن , دستخوش (Victim). (various references)

Finnish

saalis (bag, booty, catch, haul, kill, spoils). (various references)

French

proie (prey fish). (various references)

Frisian

proai. (various references)

German

Beute (accession, acquisition, asset, bag, beehive, booties, booty, catch, haul, hive, kill, loot, quarry, spoils, swag). (various references)

Greek 

βορά, λεία (booty, loot, pillage, smoothly, spoil, spoils). (various references)

Hebrew 

מלקוח (booty, loot, plunder, spoil), לטרוף (devour, mangle, prey upon, tear to pieces), חית טרף, בז (disdainful, loot, plunder, spoil), טרפ�". (various references)

Hungarian

préda (booty, pillage, plunder, spoil), áldozat (gambit, holocaust, oblation, sacrifice, victim), zsákmány (booty, catch, chase, filch, heist, loot, pillage, plunder, quarry, salvage, spoil, takings). (various references)

Indonesian

perburuan (persecution, shoot, the hunt), sasaran (target), memangsa (eat), mangsa, buruan (fugitive from justice). (various references)

Italian

predare (plunder, prey on), preda (booty, catch, kill, quarry), vittima (casualty, victim), tormentare (afflict, agonise, agonize, bait, be tormented, bedevil, excruciate, harass, Harry, nag, pester, pinch, plague, sting, tantalise, tantalize, torment, worry), saccheggiare (despoil, harry, loot, maraud, pillage, plunder, ransack, sack), cacciare (chase, chase away, dispelled, drive away, get to, Hunt, oust, plug, plunge, poke, put, send down, shoot, stick, take out, throw out, tuck). (various references)

Japanese Kanji 

餌食 (victim), 食い物 (food, victim), プレート電流 (placement test, plain, plain soda, plain yoghurt, plane, planing, plate current, play, play ball, playback, playboy, player, playgirl, playground, play-mode, pray, prayer, precious, pre-incubation, preschool, prescoring, president, press, press campaign, press center, press club, press conference, press release, pressed ham, prestige, presto, progressive, pro-Olympic). (various references)

Japanese Katakana 

プレイ (play, pray), くいもの (food, victim), えじき (victim). (various references)

Korean 

먹이. (various references)

Manx

spooilley (booty, capture, despoil, despoliation, loot, pillage, plunder, plundering, rape, ravage, ravaging, rob, sack, spoil, undo as scheme), shelg (chase, hunt, prowl, pursuit, quarry, run, shoot, spleen, the field, venery), olmys (prize), cragh (booty, capture, depredation, devastation, disaster, doom, foray, havoc, loot, plunder, prize, ravishment, sack, scoop, spoil). (various references)

Pig Latin

eypray

Portuguese

presa (acquisition, booty, chase, clutch, fang, gain, hold, nipper, quarry, ravin, swag, talon, tusk), pilhagem (booty, forage, foray, loot, marauding, pillage, plunder, plunderage, robbery, spoil, spoliation), viver de rapina, vítima (bondservant, bondslave, quarry, slave, victim), furtar (cabbage, dodge, filch, nab, prig, purloin, rob, scrounge, shoplift, snoop, steal, swipe, thieve), espoliar (despoil, flay), devorar (devour, eat, eat up, gobble, gorge, gormandize, gulp, slummock), despojo, depredação (brigandage, depredation, robbery), cair (collapse, drop, fall, flump, founder, go down, hang, keel over, lapse, pelt, plump, prostrate, sink, sleet, topple), atormentar (abuse, afflict, agonize, badger, bait, devil, discomfort, fret, gall, gnaw, grill, harrow, harry, lacerate, lay hold, martyr, mortify, obsess, oppress, pain, persecute, pester, pother, rack, scarify, tantalize, torment, torture), atacar (assail, assault, attack, bayonet, charge, come upon, emote, hammer, invade, lunge, mob, mug, oppugn, rocket, run at, strike, strike out). (various references)

Romanian

pradã (booty, capture, catch, haul, loot, pillage, plunder, quarry, spoil, take), prãda (despoil, flay, fleece, gut, knock off, loot, pillage, plunder, ransack, Raven, reave, Rob, ruin, sack, spoil), victimã (casualty, holocaust, sacrifice, spoil, victim), roade (abrade, canker, consume, corrode, crunch, eat, eat into, eat through, erode, fester, fray, fruitage, gall, gnaw, hollow, nibble, wear), jertfã (host, oblation, offering, price, sacrifice, victim), jefui (burgle, flay, fleece, Harry, knock off, loot, maraud, mug, pillage, ransack, Raven, reave, Rob, scathe, spoil), chinui (agonize, bait, bore, drudge, fester, grill, harass, Harrow, Harry, lacerate, martyr, martyrize, mortify, overdrive, persecute, pinch, plague, prick, rack, slave, tantalize, torment, torture, trouble, try, worry, wring). (various references)

Russian 

грабить (depredate, despoil, loot, pill, pillage, plunder, prey upon, ramp, ransack, ravish, reave, reive, robbing, sack), охотиться (chase, gun for, shikar, shoot), обманывать (befool, beguile, bilk, cheat, deceive, deceiving, defraud, delude, disappoint, do, double cross, flimflam, fob, fool into thinking, gag, gull, hocus, hoodwink, impose, jockey, juggle, kid, mump, practise deceit, practise deception, pull a fast one, swindle, victimize), жертва (casualty, immolation, oblation, sacrifice, victim). (various references)

Scottish

feitheid (a bird or beast of prey). (various references)

Serbo-Croatian

plen (booty, kill, plunder, quarry, ravin, spoil, spoils, swag, trophy), hvatati (catch, prey on, prey upon, seize, trap), žrtva (casualty, offering, patsy, sacrifice, victim). (various references)

Spanish

presa (barrage, catch, dam, hold, loot, press, prize, quarry, ravin, Weir), pillar (catch out, despoil, harry, loot, maraud, pillage, ravage, worry), víctima (casualty, fatality, sport, sufferer, underdog, victim), remorder (prick), reconcomer, atacar (arraign, assail, assault, attack, bite, charge, come at, commit aggression, drive, engage, get at, go for, go in, gun, light into, pitch into, plough into, raid, sail into, set about, set on, set upon, sick, slash, strike, stuff, tackle, tamp, tamp down, tamp in, walk in), aprovecharse de (avail oneself of, capitalize, make the best, play on, seize on, take advantage of), alimentarse (feed, live off). (various references)

Swedish

rov (loot, robbery, spoil), byte (booty, change, exchange, kill, loot, pillage, plunder, quarry, spoil, swap). (various references)

Thai

นกล่าสัตว์อื่นหรือนกเล็กๆ เป็นอาหาร (bird of prey). (various references)

Turkish

yem (bait, decoy, draw, fodder, food, forage, lure, provender, silage), yağmaya gitmek, kurban (fall guy, fatality, holocaust, martyr, oblation, offering, patsy, peace offering, sacrifice, sacrificial, stiff, sufferer, victim), av (catch, chase, fowling, Hunt, hunting, kill, killing, pickup, quarry, shikar, shoot, shooting, sporting). (various references)

Turkmen 

яyrtyjy (beast, bird of prey, predator). (various references)

Ukrainian

терзати (bedevil, excruciate, lacerate, rankle, worry), грабувати (despoil, hold up, loot, overrun, pillage, plunder, ransack, rape, reive, scamp, spoliate), обдурювати (befool, bilk, cheat, chouse, cod, cog, counterfeit, deceive, doodle, dupe, flimflam, gull, hoax, hocus, hoodwink, humbug, jockey, juggle, put upon, queer, sell short), награбоване (grab, pillage), здобич (bag, booty, capture, catch, kill, loot, plunder, quarry, ravin, swag), жертва (immolation, oblation, offering, sacrifice, victim), полювати (chase, shoot). (various references)

Vietnamese 

của bệnh hoạn. (various references)

Welsh

ysglyfaeth (booty, carrion, filth, spoil), caffaeliad (acquisition, boon, spoil), anrheithio (destroy, plunder, spoil), anrhaith (booty, destruction, herds, spoil, wealth), abo (carcass). (various references)

accipitrina, captura, captus, Falconiformes, praeda, praeda, preda, praedae, praedam, praedarum, praedas, rapta, rapti, raptis, rapto. (various references)

preie. (various references)

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits.

Derivations

Words beginning with "prey": preyed, preyer, preyers, preying, preys. (additional references)

Words ending with "prey": kouprey, lamprey, osprey. (additional references)

Words containing "prey": koupreys, lampreys, ospreys. (additional references)

Misspellings

"Prey" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: aprey, erey, irey, opery, oprey, opry, orey, pary, parye, Perie, perly, perq, perv, Pery, peryy, pey, Pheby, phewy, Phray, phry, piri, pjrey, pnre, Praby, prady, prah, Prai, prau, praya, preay, preb, Prec, pred, pree, preeo, pref, preg, preie, preit, prej, Prek, Preky, prel, prely, prem, pren, preo, prepy, prety, prev, prevy, prew, prex, prexy, preye, prez, pridy, prigy, prij, prizy, profy, proie, prpety, prty, prye, pryer, pryo, pryr, pryt, puey, purey, pwei, Pyer, Pyry, rey. (additional references)

Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits.

Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams

Direct Anagrams: pyre.

-1 letter: per, pry, pye, rep, rye, yep.

-2 letters: er, pe, re, ye.

+1 letter: apery, crepy, hyper, payer, peery, perdy, perky, perry, plyer, prexy, preys, pryer, pyres, repay, reply, ropey.

+2 letters: creepy, crepey, cypher, cypres, drapey, dupery, empery, expiry, grapey, gripey, gypper, japery, mopery, napery, osprey, papery, parley, payers, pearly, peltry, penury, peroxy, pertly, pinery, player, plyers, poetry, popery, prayed, prayer, prepay, preppy, pretty, preyed, preyer, pricey, pryers, purely, purvey, pyrene, pyrite, pyrone, pyrope, recopy, repays, replay, retype, ripely, ropery, sphery, spryer, sypher, typier, yapper, yauper, yawper, yelper, zephyr.

50 72 65 79

⁼

.--.    .-.    .    -.--.

01010000 01110010 01100101 01111001

&#80 &#114 &#101 &#121

0050 0072 0065 0079

50847191