prey on
noun
1.
an animal hunted or seized for food, especially by a carnivorous animal.
2.
a person or thing that is the victim of an enemy, a swindler, a disease, etc.; gull.
3.
the action or habit of preying: a beast of prey.
4.
Archaic. booty or plunder.
verb (used without object)
5.
to seize and devour prey, as an animal does (usually followed by on or upon ): Foxes prey on rabbits.
6.
to make raids or attacks for booty or plunder: The Vikings preyed on coastal settlements.
7.
to exert a harmful or destructive influence: His worries preyed upon his mind.
8.
to victimize another or others (usually followed by on or upon ): loan sharks that prey upon the poor.
00:10
Prey on
is always a great word to know.
So is bezoar. Does it mean:
| a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison. |
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
Origin:
1200–50; Middle English preye < Old French < Latin praeda booty, prey; akin to prehendere to grasp, seize (see prehension)
1200–50; Middle English preye < Old French < Latin praeda booty, prey; akin to prehendere to grasp, seize (see prehension)
Related forms
prey·er, noun
un·prey·ing, adjective
Synonyms
2. dupe, target.
2. dupe, target.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To prey on
Collins
World English Dictionary
prey (preɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | an animal hunted or captured by another for food |
| 2. | a person or thing that becomes the victim of a hostile person, influence, etc |
| 3. | beast of prey an animal that preys on others for food |
| 4. | bird of prey a bird that preys on others for food |
| 5. | an archaic word for booty |
| —vb | |
| 6. | to hunt or seize food by killing other animals |
| 7. | to make a victim (of others), as by profiting at their expense |
| 8. | to exert a depressing or obsessive effect (on the mind, spirits, etc); weigh heavily (upon) |
| [C13: from Old French preie, from Latin praeda booty; see | |
| 'preyer | |
| —n | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
prey
mid-13c., "animal hunted for food," from O.Fr. preie "booty, animal taken in the chase" (1140), from L. præda "booty, plunder, game hunted," earlier præheda, related to prehendere "to grasp, seize" (see prehensile). The verb meaning "to plunder, pillage, ravage"
is attested from late 13c., from O.Fr. preer, earlier preder (c.1040), from L.L. prædare. Its sense of "to kill and devour" is attested from mid-14c.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
prey on
-
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]
-
Hunt, especially in order to eat, as in Their cat preys on all the rodents in the neighborhood. [c. 1600]
-
Exert a baneful or injurious effect, as in Guilt preyed on his mind. [c. 1700]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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