easy
A rabbit can be prey for a fox.
What does Prey mean?
Prey is an organism hunted and eaten by a predator; prey on can also mean hunt, exploit, or keep troubling someone.
Dictionary definition
Prey is an animal or other organism that a predator hunts and eats. The noun can also mean a person or thing vulnerable to harm or control. As a verb, prey on or prey upon means to hunt for food, exploit someone, or repeatedly trouble someone's mind.
Example sentences
Prey in a sentence
medium
Spiders prey on insects caught in their webs.
hard
The scam was designed to prey on people who felt rushed and uncertain.
hard
One unanswered question continued to prey on her mind.
Writing practice
Ready to write your own? Study the examples, then practice prey in a sentence with Sentence Builder checklist feedback.
Quick practice
⬡ Earn 5 Honey
Practice the meaning of Prey
Answer three quick questions about its meaning and related words.
Question 1 of 3
Practice 1
What is prey in ecology?
Prey names one role in a feeding relationship.
Practice 2
Which sentence uses prey as a verb?
Prey on is a verb phrase meaning hunt and eat.
Practice 3
Which sentence uses a figurative meaning of prey on?
Here prey on means exploit a feeling rather than hunt for food.
Practice complete
Nice work!
You completed 3 questions.
Pronunciation coach
⬡ Earn 5 Honey
Prey
Voice settings
Sounds like
PRAY
Listen, then repeat the word.
Tap each sound part, then blend the whole word together.
PRAY
Learn
WordPrey.
Partnoun, verb.
MeaningPrey is an organism hunted and eaten by a predator; prey on can also mean hunt, exploit, or keep troubling someone.
ExampleExample: A rabbit can be prey for a fox.
Your turn
Say Prey
Record a short attempt, then compare it with the Coach. Your recording stays on this device and is not uploaded.
Coach
My attempt
Ready when you are.
Nice work—you practiced prey.
Synonyms
Words like Prey
quarryA close formal synonym for an animal or person being hunted or pursued.
victimA close synonym when prey means a person or thing harmed or exploited, not for every ecological use.
Antonyms
Opposite words
predatorA direct ecological role contrast: a predator hunts prey, although one animal can fill both roles in a food web.
Synonym practice
Want to practice prey synonyms in context? Try a Synonym Search question like "The owl searched for prey in the tall grass," then compare close word choices. Practice prey synonyms.
Word family
Prey word family
Base word
prey
verb
preys
The third-person singular form of prey.
verb
preyed
The past-tense form of prey.
verb
preying
The -ing form, spelled by keeping the y in prey.
Related words
Explore related words
Student support
Understand Prey
Hint for students
For the noun, ask what is hunted. For the verb, look for prey on or prey upon and decide whether it means hunt, exploit, or trouble the mind.
Common mix-up
Prey and pray sound alike but have different meanings. Prey usually has no regular plural ending, and preying keeps the y: the owls prey, preyed, and are preying.
Try it in class or at home
Students match prey, pray, and preying sentence cards, then build a three-organism food chain. They label each noun and verb use and explain one figurative safety example.
Teacher prompt
Use a frog, insect, and heron to show how an animal can be prey in one connection and predator in another. Which arrows belong in the food web?
Animal Classification Wheel
Compare animals with the Classification Vocabulary Wheel
Spin this researched animal vocabulary wheel to compare body groups, backbones, diets, predator-prey roles, and the evidence behind each classification.
Learning activities
Practice Prey and explore more word games
Cards labelled “Practice PREY” keep this word in focus. Explore cards open games with other words.
Practice PREY
Sentence Builder
Write your own sentence with this word and revise with checklist feedback.
Write a sentence with PREY
Explore · Spelling
Spell Hive
Hear the word, type the spelling, and use spoken clues when needed.
Practice spelling
Explore · Definitions
Define the Word Hive
Choose the meaning that fits and get instant feedback.
Practice definitions
Explore · Matching
Vocabulary Match
Pair words with meanings and review misses with dictionary links.
Match meanings
Explore · Context
Context Clue Challenge
Use sentence clues to choose the word that fits the meaning.
Use context clues
Explore · Scramble
Scrambled Bees
Rebuild words from mixed-up letters for spelling practice.
Rebuild words