prey\ upon

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 preyed on businesses of many kinds while the sale of liquor was prohibited.

4. To have a tiring and weakening effect on; weaken.

Ill health had preyed on him for years.

Business worries preyed on his mind.


Словарь американских идиом. — СПб., Изд-во "Лань". . 1997.

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  • 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 — 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 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 — 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

  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • prey upon — …   Useful english dictionary

  • prey upon somebody — …   Useful english dictionary

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