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
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And vulnerable minds and hearts and bodies are easy to prey on. Jordan Riefe, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025 ForbesNew Smartphone Warning—Forget What You’ve Been Told About SecurityBy Davey Winder 10-Second Gmail Hack Attack Mitigation These threats are, essentially, nothing but opportunistic phishing attacks designed to prey on a moment of understandable weakness. Davey Winder, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024 Those who are more sensitive to body image and emotional content may be negatively affected by videos that prey on these insecurities. Alice Park, TIME, 20 Nov. 2024 Romance scammers prey on people's vulnerability and desire for connection. Olivia Rose, The Arizona Republic, 3 Oct. 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 18 Jan. 2025.

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