Word · Frequency #4181
preyed
/prei/
verb
捕食
preyed is the past of prey.
To hunt and kill other animals for food.
- 1.
To act as a predator.
捕食
In use
Lions often prey on zebras in the savanna.
The hawk was preying on small rodents in the field.
The snake has preyed on birds and frogs since it escaped.
Verb forms
base prey · third person preys · -ing preying · past preyed · past participle preyed
规则动词，过去式和过去分词加-ed
Connections
Collocations
- prey on humans
- 捕食人类
- Most sharks do not actively prey on humans.大多数鲨鱼并不主动捕食人类。
- prey on livestock
- 捕食牲畜
- Wolves sometimes prey on livestock in the countryside.狼有时在乡下捕食牲畜。
- prey on the weak
- 捕食弱者
- In the wild, predators usually prey on the weak.在野外，捕食者通常捕食弱者。
- be preyed on by
- 被……捕食
- Small birds are often preyed on by hawks.小鸟经常被鹰捕食。
Idioms & figurative uses
- prey on someone's mind
- 不断困扰某人；使某人忧心忡忡The question of whether she made the right decision preys on her mind.她是否做了正确决定这个问题一直困扰着她。
Learner notes
Memory Tip
prey 与 pray 同音，但意思不同：捕食者（predator）捕食 prey，祈祷者才 pray。联想 predator 开头 pre，记住 prey 是“捕食”。
Context & Register
语域：formal 常见场景：formal writing、ecology and science reports、news articles 作动词时通常用于较正式的书面语，多与 on/upon 搭配，表示“捕食”；日常口语中较少单独使用。
Pronunciation & Spelling
这些词都含 /eɪ/ 音，与 prey 押韵：they、grey、obey、tray、weigh、pray。注意拼写相似但读音不同的词：key /kiː/ 虽以 -ey 结尾，但不押韵。
Usage priority
Collins 词频等级为 2，建议结合例句记忆，而不是只背中文释义。
Learn the forms together
页面下方列出了常见词形变化。学习时注意它们在句子中的语法位置。
Dictionary facts from ECDICT, WIKTIONARY, WORDNET.