Tra từ prey - Từ điển Oxford Advanced Learner 8th

prey [prey preys preyed preying] noun, verb BrE [preɪ] NAmE [preɪ]
noun uncountable, singular
1. an animal, a bird, etc. that is hunted, killed and eaten by another
•The lion will often stalk its prey for hours.
•birds of prey (= birds that kill for food)
2. a person who is harmed or tricked by sb, especially for dishonest purposes
•Elderly people are easy prey for dishonest salesmen.

Word Origin:
Middle English (also denoting plunder taken in war): the noun from Old French preie, from Latin praeda ‘booty’, the verb from Old French preier, based on Latin praedari ‘seize as plunder’, from praeda.

Collocations:
The living world
Animals
animals mate/breed/reproduce/feed (on sth)
fish/amphibians swim/spawn (= lay eggs)
birds fly/migrate/nest/sing
insects crawl/fly/bite/sting
insects/bees/locusts swarm
bees collect/gather nectar/pollen
spiders spin/weave a web
snakes/lizards shed their skins
bears/hedgehogs/frogs hibernate
insect larvae grow/develop/pupate
an egg/a chick/a larva hatches
attract/find/choose a mate
produce/release eggs/sperm
lay/fertilize/incubate/hatch eggs
inhabit a forest/a reef/the coast
mark/enter/defend (a) territory
stalk/hunt/capture/catch/kill prey
Plants and fungi
trees/plants grow/bloom/blossom/flower
a seed germinates/sprouts
leaves/buds/roots/shoots appear/develop/form
flower buds swell/open
a fungus grows/spreads/colonizes sth
pollinate/fertilize a flower/plant
produce/release/spread/disperse pollen/seeds/spores
produce/bear fruit
develop/grow/form roots/shoots/leaves
provide/supply/absorb/extract/release nutrients
perform/increase/reduce photosynthesis
Bacteria and viruses
bacteria/microbes/viruses grow/spread/multiply
bacteria/microbes live/thrive in/on sth
bacteria/microbes/viruses evolve/colonize sth/cause disease
bacteria break sth down/convert sth (into sth)
a virus enters/invades sth/the body
a virus mutates/evolves/replicates (itself)
be infected with/contaminated with/exposed to a new strain of a virus/drug-resistant bacteria
contain/carry/harbour (especially US) harbor bacteria/a virus
kill/destroy/eliminate harmful/deadly bacteria

Example Bank:
•Teenagers are easy prey for unscrupulous drug dealers.
•The new government has fallen prey to corruption and fraud.
•The young deer are ideal prey for the leopard.
•They watched a hawk swoop down on its unsuspecting prey.
•a cat pouncing on its prey
Idioms: ↑prey on somebody's mind ▪ prey to something
Derived: ↑prey on somebody

verb
Verb forms:

Word Origin:
Middle English (also denoting plunder taken in war): the noun from Old French preie, from Latin praeda ‘booty’, the verb from Old French preier, based on Latin praedari ‘seize as plunder’, from praeda.