To prey upon

To prey upon
Prey Prey, v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Preyed}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Preying}.] [OF. preier, preer, L. praedari, fr. praeda. See {Prey}, n.] To take booty; to gather spoil; to ravage; to take food by violence. [1913 Webster]

More pity that the eagle should be mewed, While kites and buzzards prey at liberty. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

{To prey on} or {To prey upon}. (a) To take prey from; to despoil; to pillage; to rob. --Shak. (b) To seize as prey; to take for food by violence; to seize and devour. --Shak. (c) To wear away gradually; to cause to waste or pine away; as, the trouble preyed upon his mind. --Addison. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • prey upon sb — prey on/upon sb/sth Phrasal Verb with prey( ► to harm somebody who is weaker than you are: »It is regrettable that such companies prey upon homeowners who are already experiencing financial difficulties …   Financial and business terms

  • prey upon sb/sth — prey on/upon sb/sth Phrasal Verb with prey( ► to harm somebody who is weaker than you are: »It is regrettable that such companies prey upon homeowners who are already experiencing financial difficulties …   Financial and business terms

  • prey upon sth — prey on/upon sb/sth Phrasal Verb with prey( ► to harm somebody who is weaker than you are: »It is regrettable that such companies prey upon homeowners who are already experiencing financial difficulties …   Financial and business terms

  • prey upon — index bait (harass), endanger, harass, loot Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • prey upon — phrasal verb prey on or prey upon [transitive] Word forms prey on : present tense I/you/we/they prey on he/she/it preys on present participle preying on past tense preyed on past participle preyed on 1) prey on/upon someone to harm someone who is …   English dictionary

  • prey\ upon — • prey (up)on v 1. To habitually kill and eat; catch for food. Cats prey on mice. 2. To capture or take in spoils of war or robbery. Pirates preyed on American ships in the years just after the Revolutionary War. 3. To cheat; rob. Gangsters… …   Словарь американских идиом

  • prey upon — 1) catch for food, kill and eat Cats usually prey on mice and small birds if they can catch them. 2) cheat, rob Criminals usually prey on people who are living in poor areas …   Idioms and examples

  • prey upon — …   Useful english dictionary

  • prey upon somebody — …   Useful english dictionary

  • prey upon something — …   Useful english dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”