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
Because opossums are among the pythons’ preferred prey, the accidental discovery turned out to be a practical, repeatable method for locating invasive snakes.
—
Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
The Criticism — and the Pointed Rebuttal Some criticism has emerged over using live prey this way.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2026
The wear, the researchers demonstrate in their study, was more severe than what is typically seen in modern cephalopods that feed on hard prey.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
In contrast, soft-bodied animals, or invertebrates, seemed to have served as prey.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 28 Apr. 2026
The Criticism — and the Pointed Rebuttal Some criticism has emerged over using live prey this way.
—Hanna Wickes, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2026
The wear, the researchers demonstrate in their study, was more severe than what is typically seen in modern cephalopods that feed on hard prey.
—Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 24 Apr. 2026
In contrast, soft-bodied animals, or invertebrates, seemed to have served as prey.
—Kate Wong, Scientific American, 23 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for prey
Recent Examples of Synonyms for prey
Noun
-
Every Gothic cathedral is the product of ideas that altered over generations, ambitions abandoned or superseded, compromises with ballooning budgets, labor shortages, or bottlenecks in the supply chain from quarries and forests and mines.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Streets in the center of town are paved in marble from the nearby quarries of Carrara.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Nataliia had gone to the bus station, where soldiers were spraying foam to contain the nuclear fallout, and to the hospital, where men in white coats were unloading victims on stretchers from the backs of ambulances.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
-
At the time, Esperanza-Pacheco was working as a pastor at God’s Lighthouse of Truth in Richmond, where the victim and her family were members and had developed a friendship with him.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Chargers’ Ladd McConkey put up a Pro-Bowl caliber campaign in ’24 as a first-year target (82 catches, 1,149 receiving yards, seven scores), while Rashod Bateman’s numbers as a rookie in ’22 were merely serviceable (46 grabs, 515 yards, one TD).—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Higher-income targets may see investment scams.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In a social media post, authorities said the drones caused material damage, but no casualties.—
NPR Staff,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Through a detailed examination of footage posted by Israeli soldiers themselves, the film documents potential war crimes, including civilian casualties, torture, and destruction of infrastructure, delivering unprecedented accountability and real-time evidence.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Prey.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/prey. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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