predated; predating; predates
: to prey on (something or someone)
Animals predate other animals in nature, but that is hardly commensurate with a massive worldwide farming industry that breeds species purely for our purpose.—
Jenny Diski
Jenny DiskiAre high-profile men that sexually predate women finally starting to lose immunity?—Alex McKinnon
Alex McKinnonAll cats may predate but those living indoors have little opportunity to do so.—Kevin Stafford
Kevin StaffordThere are many species that predate on pigeons and doves.—Revati
RevatiSynonyms
Examples of predate in a Sentence
Verb (1)
modes of transportation that predate the car
the native people who predated European settlers in America
Recent Examples on the Web
Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
It was imposed by the Fed in 2018 for misdeeds that predated the current leadership.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2024
Adrian Smith and Dave Murray have a history that predates Dickinson’s arrival on the scene.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 10 Oct. 2024
Join 5 others in the comments View Comments The Westminster Dog Show, first held in 1877, is America’s second-oldest continuous sporting event and predates the invention of both the lightbulb and the automobile.
—Erika Tulfo, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for predate 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Much of his most successful output predates the list, which was introduced in 2020 alongside the Billboard Global 200—though some of those cuts have found their way to the rankings.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024
It was imposed by the Fed in 2018 for misdeeds that predated the current leadership.
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2024
Adrian Smith and Dave Murray have a history that predates Dickinson’s arrival on the scene.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 10 Oct. 2024
Join 5 others in the comments View Comments The Westminster Dog Show, first held in 1877, is America’s second-oldest continuous sporting event and predates the invention of both the lightbulb and the automobile.
—Erika Tulfo, CNN, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for predate
Dictionary Entries Near predate
Cite this Entry
“Predate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/predate. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
predate
verb
pre·date
(ˈ)prē-ˈdāt 
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share