prey
/preɪ/noun
उच्चारण प्रे
शिकार
Core wordPYP · asked 3 times
Asked in previous papers
as antonym
- 1
[U, sing.]
an animal, a bird that is hunted, killed and eaten by another
शिकार
- The lion stalked its prey.
- The eagle circled above the field, searching for small prey.
- The cheetah chased its prey across the open plain.
+ 2 more examples
- Small birds are the prey of hawks.
- Some snakes swallow their prey whole.
- 2
[U, sing.]
a person who is harmed or tricked by somebody, especially for dishonest purposes
(धोखे का) शिकार
- Old people are often easy prey for fraudsters.
- Lonely students can easily fall prey to fake coaching agents.
- Elderly people became easy prey for the telephone scammers.
+ 2 more examples
- The shy new student was prey to bullies until a teacher stepped in.
- He fell prey to a clever online trick.
- 1
[I] ~ on/upon sth/sb
to hunt and kill another animal for food; to harm somebody who is weaker
शिकार करना; (कमज़ोर का) फ़ायदा उठाना
- Owls prey on mice.
- Cheats prey on innocent people.
- Eagles prey on rabbits and small rodents.
+ 2 more examples
- Some websites prey on the fears of anxious parents.
- Dishonest agents prey upon people who are desperate for jobs abroad.
§Structures (grammar patterns) 4
prey: uncountable animal noun
Prey is the animal hunted for food. It is uncountable and takes no -s: 'The tiger hunts its prey.'
'Prey' भोजन के लिए शिकार किया जाने वाला जानवर है; यह uncountable है और -s नहीं लेता।
- The lion crept towards its prey.
- Hawks catch their prey from high in the air.
prey on / upon sb or sth
As a verb, prey on means to hunt and eat, or to harm weaker people. It needs on or upon.
क्रिया के रूप में 'prey on' का अर्थ शिकार कर खाना या कमज़ोर लोगों को नुकसान पहुँचाना है; इसके साथ 'on' या 'upon' आता है।
- Owls prey on mice and small birds.
- Cheats prey on old people living alone.
fall prey to + noun
To be hurt or tricked by something harmful, such as a fraud or a disease.
किसी हानिकारक चीज़, जैसे धोखाधड़ी या रोग, का शिकार बनना।
- Many students fall prey to online scams.
bird of prey / easy prey
A bird of prey hunts other animals, like an eagle. Easy prey means a person who is easily cheated.
Bird of prey दूसरे जानवरों का शिकार करने वाला पक्षी है, जैसे चील; 'easy prey' आसानी से ठगा जाने वाला व्यक्ति है।
- The eagle is a bird of prey.
- Trusting travellers are easy prey for thieves.
+Collocations 4
adjective + prey
easysmallnaturalweaklive
- Tourists carrying cash are easy prey for pickpockets.
verb + prey
huntcatchstalkchasefall
- The cat stalked its prey in the garden.
prey on + noun
on the weakon fearon old peopleon small birds
- Fraud callers prey on fear.
prey + animal
bird of preypredator and preyprey animalprey species
- The deer is a prey animal in this forest.
“More examples 5
- The snake waited silently for its prey to come close.
साँप चुपचाप अपने शिकार के पास आने की प्रतीक्षा करता रहा।
- Radhika warned her grandmother not to fall prey to phone fraud.
राधिका ने अपनी दादी को फ़ोन धोखाधड़ी का शिकार न बनने की चेतावनी दी।
- Money lenders prey on poor farmers during bad harvests.
ख़राब फ़सल के समय साहूकार ग़रीब किसानों का शोषण करते हैं।
- The vulture is a bird of prey that also eats dead animals.
गिद्ध एक शिकारी पक्षी है जो मृत जानवर भी खाता है।
- Guilt preyed on his mind after he copied in the test.
परीक्षा में नक़ल करने के बाद अपराध-बोध उसके मन को सताता रहा।
!Common mistakes 3
✗ The tiger killed its preys and ate them.
✓ The tiger killed its prey and ate it.
Prey is uncountable and has no plural -s.
'Prey' uncountable है और इसमें plural -s नहीं लगता।
✗ Many people fall prey of cheats.
✓ Many people fall prey to cheats.
The idiom is fall prey to, not of.
मुहावरा 'fall prey to' है, 'of' नहीं।
✗ Eagles prey small animals.
✓ Eagles prey on small animals.
The verb prey is intransitive and needs on or upon.
क्रिया 'prey' अकर्मक है और इसके साथ 'on' या 'upon' आवश्यक है।
≠Thesaurus: which synonym when
These words are linked to hunting, and 'prey' and 'pray' are look-alikes of different meaning.
ये शब्द शिकार से जुड़े हैं, और 'prey' तथा 'pray' समान सुनाई देने वाले पर भिन्न अर्थ के शब्द हैं।
An animal hunted for food, or a person who is easily harmed.
भोजन के लिए शिकार किया जाने वाला जानवर, या आसानी से नुकसान झेलने वाला व्यक्ति।
- The rabbit is prey for the fox.
A person who suffers harm from a crime, accident or illness.
अपराध, दुर्घटना या रोग से हानि उठाने वाला व्यक्ति।
- He was a victim of fraud.
An animal or person that is hunted or chased.
जिसका शिकार या पीछा किया जा रहा हो, ऐसा जानवर या व्यक्ति।
- The hunter lost sight of his quarry.
¶Idioms 2
fall prey to sth
to be harmed or affected by something
(किसी चीज़ का) शिकार होना
- Many villagers fell prey to the fake scheme.
prey on sb's mind
to make somebody think and worry about something all the time
(किसी के) मन पर बोझ बने रहना
- The failure preyed on his mind.
→Phrasal verbs 1
prey on/upon sb/sth
to hunt and kill another animal for food; to harm somebody who is weaker than you; to worry somebody all the time
(जानवर का) शिकार करना; (कमज़ोर को) निशाना बनाना; (चिंता का) मन को घेरे रहना
- Owls prey on mice.
- Fraudsters prey on elderly people.
- The problem has been preying on my mind.
≈Synonyms and antonyms
?Which word?
Homophone, asked very often: prey (an animal that is hunted) and pray (speak to God).
Homophone में यह बहुत पूछा जाता है: prey (शिकार किया जाने वाला जानवर) और pray (प्रार्थना करना)।
§Grammar and usage
Prey on or upon sth.
Prey के बाद 'on' या 'upon' आता है: prey on sth का मतलब है किसी कमज़ोर को शिकार बनाना या उसका फ़ायदा उठाना, जैसे fraudsters prey on old people (धोखेबाज़ बुज़ुर्गों को निशाना बनाते हैं)।
“Collocations, idioms and sayings
Fall prey to, prey on sb's mind, a bird of prey (an eagle, a hawk or an owl).
Idioms: fall prey to, prey on sb's mind, a bird of prey (बाज़, गरुड़ या उल्लू)।