How to Use prey on/upon in a Sentence

prey on/upon

phrasal verb
Definition of prey on/uponnext
  • They’ve been known to scale or dig beneath fences to prey on pets.
    — Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times, 11 Mar. 2024
  • But the curse of the castle continues to prey on his mind.
    — EW.com, 8 July 2024
  • On land, birds, crabs, and small mammals prey on eggs and hatchlings.
    — Jake Parks, Discover Magazine, 6 Mar. 2024
  • This is due to that area's seal population, which the sharks prey on.
    — Ronn Blitzer, Fox News, 30 June 2022
  • Wolves kill some livestock and hunting dogs each year as well as prey on deer and elk.
    — Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 1 Dec. 2022
  • Hawks and owls prey on rodents bounding across grassy slopes.
    — Louis Sahagún, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2024
  • Live birds of prey on display during the breakfast hours.
    — The Indianapolis Star, 26 July 2024
  • Tiger sharks are one of the most fierce species in its genus, measure about 15 feet long and often prey on turtles.
    — Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 7 June 2024
  • The case leads them down a rabbit hole where rich predators prey on the innocent.
    — Sun Sentinel, 24 Jan. 2023
  • Other big cats and eagles are known to prey on cheetahs.
    — Claudia Dominguez, CNN, 18 Feb. 2023
  • During their journey, terns must watch out for raptors and gulls that might prey on them.
    — Scott Travers, Forbes, 4 Oct. 2024
  • The king of the dinosaurs may have not been the only Cretaceous carnivore to prey on its own kin.
    — Alex Orlando, Discover Magazine, 1 May 2024
  • How do Burmese pythons eat? Burmese pythons prey on mammals, birds and other reptiles.
    — Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
  • That’s because there are so many animals that prey on smolts.
    — oregonlive, 27 Aug. 2023
  • As the dead awaken and prey on the living, a group of people take shelter at a farmhouse and try to survive a very dark night.
    — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 19 Aug. 2022
  • High transaction fees add to worries that they can be used to prey on poor people.
    — Amrith Ramkumar, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2022
  • Of the species humans prey on, almost 40 percent are threatened.
    — Emily Harwitz, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2023
  • These arthropods are more likely to prey on ticks when they are fully engorged with blood.
    — Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 9 Nov. 2023
  • There is no reason this person should ever be set free again to prey on others.
    — Greg Wehner, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024
  • The deer caught on camera likely had been swimming for its life, as gators have been known to prey on them and smaller mammals.
    — Simone Jasper The Charlotte Observer (tns), al, 4 May 2023
  • Wolves also prey on livestock in the agriculture-rich West.
    — Katie Hill, Outdoor Life, 23 Aug. 2023
  • Once the parasite decides to prey on your dog, the substance activates in its body.
    — Laxmi Corp, The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 July 2022
  • Birds prey on dragonflies, but Burne said he’s also seen fish jump out of the water and take dragonflies from the air.
    — Don Lyman, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2022
  • But overall the new research found that only about half of the species humans prey on end up being eaten.
    — Lesley Evans Ogden, Scientific American, 29 June 2023
  • Wolverines in North America rarely prey on livestock and aren’t a threat to humans.
    — Christine Peterson, Vox, 5 Aug. 2024
  • She is not used to hulking radroaches that prey upon human-size meals.
    — Jack King, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2024
  • The bears are more likely to prey on live ungulates during the spring calving season.
    — Travis Hall, Field & Stream, 13 July 2023
  • But some coyotes will also prey on small livestock, poultry and small pets.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 30 Apr. 2024
  • Walking in the forest with a bird of prey on my hunting glove was unbelievable.
    — Lisa Niver, Travel + Leisure, 29 Oct. 2023
  • Together, co-hosts Scaachi Koul and Sarah Hagi shine a light on the grifters and con artists who prey on the worlds of social media, fashion, finance, health, and wellness.
    — Spenser Mestel, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'prey on/upon.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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