prey

prey — noun

1. An animal that a predator catches and eats as food.

1.nounC2
Definition

An animal that a predator catches and eats as food.

Example

The hawk spotted its prey from high above and dove down swiftly.

Mice are common prey for owls that hunt in the countryside at night.

uncountable: common prey — no article needed

Common collocations
  • hunt prey
  • chase prey
  • stalk prey
  • catch prey
  • become prey
  • easy prey
  • common prey
Synonyms
  • quarry

    more specific to animals hunted by humans for sport; less common in everyday speech

  • game

    refers to wild animals hunted for sport or food by people, not by other animals

  • catch

    informal; focuses on the act of being caught rather than the hunted-hunter relationship

Antonyms
  • predator

    the animal that does the hunting, not the one being hunted

Grammar Patterns

prey is not used with a/an or in the plural

Usage Note

'Prey' is an uncountable noun. You cannot say 'a prey' or 'preys'. Instead use 'its prey', 'their prey', or phrases such as 'an animal's prey'.

Common Mistakes

The lion caught a prey and carried it away.
The lion caught its prey and carried it away.
'Prey' is uncountable and cannot follow 'a'.

2. Someone who gets cheated, exploited, or hurt by another person, typically for di

2.nounB2
Definition

Someone who gets cheated, exploited, or hurt by another person, typically for dishonest gain.

Example

Elderly people can fall prey to scammers who pretend to be from the bank.

fixed phrase: fall prey to

The tourists became easy prey for local pickpockets near the busy market square.

collocation: easy prey

Common collocations
  • fall prey to
  • become prey to
  • be easy prey
  • prey to fear
  • prey to anxiety
Synonyms
  • victim

    more general and neutral; works in any harmful situation, not just exploitation

  • target

    focuses on the idea of being selected for harm; used in both literal and digital contexts

  • sitting duck

    informal idiom; emphasises helplessness and lack of defence

Antonyms
  • predator

    the person who exploits or harms others

  • attacker

    the one who carries out the harmful act

Grammar Patterns

fall prey to + noun phrase

become prey to + noun phrase

be easy prey for + noun phrase

Usage Note

In this sense, 'prey' almost always appears in fixed constructions: 'fall prey to', 'be/become prey to', or 'easy prey for'. It is not used with an indefinite article (❌ a prey). The object of 'to' or 'for' can be a person, group, or abstract force.

Common Mistakes

He was a prey of the scammer.
He fell prey to the scammer.
'Prey' in the victim sense is uncountable; use the fixed phrase 'fall prey to'.
Idioms

fall prey to

idiom

To be harmed, cheated, defeated, or negatively affected by someone or something.

Several investors fell prey to the fraudulent scheme and lost their savings.

The small village fell prey to the disease before help could arrive.

be prey to

idiom

To be strongly affected by an unpleasant feeling or negative influence.

Without proper support, new teachers are prey to burnout within their first year.

Tamar was prey to anxiety every time she had to fly on an aeroplane.

be/fall prey to something

idiom

To be harmed, killed, or negatively affected by something or someone.

The young rabbit fell prey to a hungry fox in the forest.

Did the company fall prey to the economic crisis last year?

prey — verb

Word family

  • predator
    nounB2
  • predatory
    adjectiveC1
  • predation
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words describe animals that are hunted, but they differ in context and register. 'Prey' is the broadest term, referring to any animal hunted for food by a predator — it works equally well for a mouse caught by an owl or a zebra taken by a lion. 'Quarry' is narrower: it usually describes an animal hunted by people for sport, and carries a sense of pursuit and tracking. 'Game' refers specifically to wild animals legally hunted by humans for sport or food, such as deer or pheasants, and often appears in legal or sporting contexts. 'Catch' is the most informal and result-focused: it can refer to anything that has actually been caught, especially fish. For example: 'The lioness dragged her prey into the tall grass' (natural, broad). 'The hunters tracked their quarry through the forest for hours' (sport-specific, formal). 'Salmon is a popular catch among anglers in this river' (informal, result-focused).

prey ↗quarrygame ↗catch ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchEnglish

'Prey' entered English through Old French 'preie' meaning 'booty, plunder', which came from Latin 'praeda' meaning 'booty, spoils of war, prey'. The original sense of taking something by force carried over into the natural world (a predator taking its prey) and later into figurative uses about exploiting people.