🎯 Phrasal Verbs with Prey: Usage, Examples and Phrases

Are you looking to expand your English vocabulary? In this article, we’ll explore all aspects of the word “prey” [preɪ], its phrasal verbs, and useful expressions. You’ll get practical examples and learn to confidently use these constructions in your speech.

📚 What does “prey” mean?

Prey is a versatile word that can function as different parts of speech. Let’s explore its usage in detail:

🔤 Grammatical Forms and Functions

1. As a noun:

• Means “victim” or “quarry”
• The lion caught its prey
• Birds of prey hunt during the day

2. As a verb:

• Means “to hunt” or “to take advantage of the weak”
• Scammers prey on elderly people
• Large fish prey on smaller ones

⚡ Important to Remember:

• The verb prey is typically followed by prepositions on or upon
• In figurative meaning, it often has a negative connotation

🎮 Phrasal Verbs with “prey”

1. 🎯 Prey on / Prey upon

Meaning 1: To hunt something/someone

• Wolves prey on smaller animals in the wild
• Eagles prey upon small mammals

Meaning 2: To exploit or harm

• Cybercriminals prey on unsuspecting users online
• Fraudsters prey upon people’s fears to steal money

2. 🎯 Be prey to

• Meaning: to be a victim of something
• She fell prey to a scammer
• Many animals become prey to larger predators

💫 Useful Phrases and Idioms

1. 🔸 Fall prey to

• Meaning: to become a victim
• Tourists often fall prey to pickpockets in crowded places
• Many businesses fall prey to cyber-attacks

2. 🔸 Easy prey

• Meaning: an easy victim
• Children are easy prey for online predators
• Elderly people living alone can be easy prey for scammers

📝 Practice Exercises: Phrasal Verbs with Prey

Exercise 1: Fill in the Gaps

Fill in the blanks with the appropriate form of “prey” and necessary prepositions:

Large fish _______ _______ smaller ones in the ocean.

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Answer: prey on

The weak antelope _______ _______ the lion’s attack.

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Answer: fell prey to

Online scammers often _______ _______ elderly people.

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Answer: prey upon

Small businesses can be _______ _______ for cybercriminals.

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Answer: easy prey

Anxiety continues to _______ _______ his mind.

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Answer: prey on

Exercise 2: Choose the Correct Option

Select the correct phrasal verb usage:

The company _______.

a) preyed by hackers
b) fell prey to hackers
c) preying to hackers

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Correct answer: b) fell prey to hackers

Eagles _______.

a) prey on small mammals
b) prey at small mammals
c) prey with small mammals

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Correct answer: a) prey on small mammals

Tourists can be _______.

a) easy prey
b) preyed easy
c) prey easily

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Correct answer: a) easy prey

Exercise 3: Correct the Mistakes

Find and correct errors in the following sentences:

The lion is preying at the zebra.

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Correct: The lion is preying on the zebra.

She became a prey of the scammer.

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Correct: She fell prey to the scammer.

Criminals are preying by innocent people.

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Correct: Criminals are preying on innocent people.

💡 Tips for Completing Exercises:

• Pay attention to correct preposition usage (on, upon, to)
• Remember the difference between “prey on” and “fall prey to”
• Don’t forget about correct verb forms in different tenses

🎯 Conclusion

Phrasal verbs with prey are most commonly used to describe:

• Predatory behavior in nature
• Exploitation of the weak
• Fraudulent actions
• Negative influence

💡 Tip: Pay attention to the context when using these expressions, as they often carry negative connotations.