predated; predating; predates
: to prey on (something or someone)
Animals predate other animals in nature, but that is hardly commensurate with a massive worldwide farming industry that breeds species purely for our purpose.—
Jenny Diski
Jenny DiskiAre high-profile men that sexually predate women finally starting to lose immunity?—Alex McKinnon
Alex McKinnonAll cats may predate but those living indoors have little opportunity to do so.—Kevin Stafford
Kevin StaffordThere are many species that predate on pigeons and doves.—Revati
RevatiExamples of predate in a Sentence
Verb (1)
modes of transportation that predate the car
the native people who predated European settlers in America
Recent Examples on the Web
New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2025
Majestic Caverns, formerly known as DeSoto Caverns, became the country’s first recorded cave in 1796, but its use far predated that.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025
Apparently, the oldest and longest continuously operating university in the world predates the University of Bologna by about 230 years.
—Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
The play predates Moore’s time in Philadelphia, but it’s remained in the playbook because it almost never gets stopped.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predate
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Verb
The Postal Service is the nation’s oldest federal function, predating the Declaration of Independence by nearly a year with the appointment by the Continental Congress of Benjamin Franklin as the first postmaster general on July 26, 1775.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2025
Majestic Caverns, formerly known as DeSoto Caverns, became the country’s first recorded cave in 1796, but its use far predated that.
—Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 15 Feb. 2025
Apparently, the oldest and longest continuously operating university in the world predates the University of Bologna by about 230 years.
—Doris Bittar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
The play predates Moore’s time in Philadelphia, but it’s remained in the playbook because it almost never gets stopped.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 7 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for predate
Cite this Entry
“Predate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predate. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predate
verb
pre·date
(ˈ)prē-ˈdāt 
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