preying

4 definitions • 5 examples

If an animal preys on another animal, it catches and eats it:

The spider preys on small flies and other insects.

to hurt or deceive a group of people, especially people who are weak or can easily be hurt or deceived:

He would attack at night, preying on lone women in their twenties or thirties.

It's particularly contemptible that these sort of people prey on the elderly.

to kill and eat an animal:

Lions prey on huge herds of wildebeest and zebra.

Someone who preys on a group of people tries to get something from them illegally or unfairly:

These telemarketers prey on the elderly and call them 5 or 10 times a day.