prey on

English

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prey on

verb preys on · preying on · preyed on

transitive To eat (as prey). Owls prey on small mammals, such as mice.
figuratively, transitive To exploit or victimize. Bradford had preyed on Villa's inability to defend set pieces, corners in particular, in their first-leg win and took advantage of the weakness again as Hanson equalised to restore their two-goal aggregate lead.
figuratively, transitive To weigh heavily upon (a person's mind). The past—to me, the dreadful past !—is one eternal present ; and the Promethean vulture of remorse preys on me now, and for ever.

Translations

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verb to exploit or victimize

Español	aprovecharse de
Português	predar
Italiano	predare

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MLA

"prey on." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/prey%20on. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

prey on. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/prey%20on

Chicago

"prey on." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/prey%20on.

BibTeX

@misc{prey_on_2026,
  title = {prey on},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/prey%20on},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}