prey on/upon
phrasal verb
preyed on/upon; preying on/upon; preys on/upon
1
: to hunt and kill (something) for food
The wolves prey on small animals.
2
: to hurt, cheat, or steal from (someone)
criminals who prey on lonely elderly people
Examples of prey on/upon in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
What Platt was leaning into was the movie’s depiction of a world empowering an authoritarian leader (in this case, dear Wizard) who uses scapegoating to prey on — and stoke — people’s fears.
—
Glenn Whipp, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024
Some companies have reportedly dealt with safety issues, like bad actors who abuse the model to give harmful advice or prey on vulnerable people.
—Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
Expect plenty of hot takes, including a barrage of think pieces, seeing as, in this telling, the Wizard is an authoritarian leader using scapegoating to prey on — and stoke — people’s fears.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
A bit like keeping a dairy herd, ants can protect aphids from predators in return for honeydew the ants can lap-up, even though, ironically, ants actively prey on other insects as a more direct source of food.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 7 Nov. 2024
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Glenn Whipp, Twin Cities, 24 Nov. 2024
Some companies have reportedly dealt with safety issues, like bad actors who abuse the model to give harmful advice or prey on vulnerable people.
—Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
Expect plenty of hot takes, including a barrage of think pieces, seeing as, in this telling, the Wizard is an authoritarian leader using scapegoating to prey on — and stoke — people’s fears.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Nov. 2024
A bit like keeping a dairy herd, ants can protect aphids from predators in return for honeydew the ants can lap-up, even though, ironically, ants actively prey on other insects as a more direct source of food.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 7 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for prey on/upon
Dictionary Entries Near prey on/upon
Cite this Entry
“Prey on/upon.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/prey%20on%2Fupon. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
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