Police are looking for street criminals who prey on tourists.
Gangs that prey upon small business owners in the city's Chinatown may be spreading to the suburbs.
Guilt preyed on him for years after the accident.
The ads prey on our fear of being alone.
New idioms dictionary. 2014.
prey on someone's mind — prey on someone’s mind phrase if something preys on your mind, you think and worry about it all the time The criticism preyed on my mind. Thesaurus: to make someone worried or nervoussynonym Main entry: prey … Useful english dictionary
prey on someone's mind — prey on (someone s) mind if something preys on someone s mind, they worry about it for a long time. I lost my temper with her the other day and it s been preying on my mind ever since … New idioms dictionary
fall prey to someone — fall prey to (someone/something) to be harmed by someone or something. We worry that our children will fall prey to the influence of bad kids. Patients may fall prey to dishonest salespeople who say they can cure their pain. Usage notes:… … New idioms dictionary
prey on someone's mind — if something preys on your mind, you think and worry about it all the time The criticism preyed on my mind … English dictionary
prey on mind — prey on (someone s) mind if something preys on someone s mind, they worry about it for a long time. I lost my temper with her the other day and it s been preying on my mind ever since … New idioms dictionary
prey — prey1 [ preı ] noun uncount ** 1. ) an animal that is caught by another animal and eaten: Spiders usually catch their prey by building webs. => BIRD OF PREY 2. ) someone that a criminal or dishonest person attacks, cheats, or harms: VICTIM: a… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
prey — prey1 [preı] n [Date: 1200 1300; : Old French; Origin: preie, from Latin praeda something seized ] 1.) [singular,U] an animal, bird etc that is hunted and eaten by another animal = ↑predator ▪ a tiger stalking its prey 2.) bird/beast of prey a… … Dictionary of contemporary English
prey — I UK [preɪ] / US noun [uncountable] ** 1) an animal that is caught by another animal and eaten Spiders usually catch their prey by building webs. See: bird of prey 2) someone that a criminal or dishonest person attacks, cheats, or harms a hired… … English dictionary
prey on/upon — [phrasal verb] 1 prey on/upon (something) : to hunt and kill (something) for food The wolves prey on small animals. 2 prey on/upon (someone) : to hurt, cheat, or steal from (someone) c … Useful english dictionary
prey — [prā] n. [ME preye < OFr preie < L praeda < base of prehendere, to seize: see PREHENSILE] 1. Archaic plunder; booty 2. an animal hunted or killed for food by another animal 3. a person or thing that falls victim to someone or something 4 … English World dictionary
