I. prey 1 /preɪ/ BrE AmE noun
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: preie , from Latin praeda 'something seized' ]
1 . [singular, uncountable] an animal, bird etc that is hunted and eaten by another animal OPP predator :
a tiger stalking its prey
2 . bird/beast of prey a bird or animal which lives by killing and eating other animals
3 . be/fall prey to somebody/something if someone falls prey to someone or something bad, they are harmed or affected by them:
Street children in this part of the world often fall prey to drug dealers.
They are prey to nameless fears.
4 . easy prey
a) someone who can easily be deceived or harmed:
He was easy prey for the two conmen who called at his house.
b) an animal which is easily caught by another:
Fish at the surface of the water are easy prey for eagles.
II. prey 2 BrE AmE verb
prey on somebody/something phrasal verb
1 . if an animal or bird preys on another animal or bird, it hunts and eats it ⇨ predator :
Cats prey on birds and mice.
2 . to try to deceive or harm weaker people:
religious cults that specialize in preying on young people
3 . prey on sb’s mind to make someone worry continuously:
The accident has been preying on my mind all week.