Upon
is formal and less commonly used thanon
.) •The people of that island prey on tourists and do not give them good treatment.
•I really don't want to seem to prey upon your kindness.
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.
prey on/upon — [phrasal verb] 1 prey on/upon (something) : to hunt and kill (something) for food The wolves prey on small animals. 2 prey on/upon (someone) : to hurt, cheat, or steal from (someone) c … Useful english dictionary
prey — [prā] n. [ME preye < OFr preie < L praeda < base of prehendere, to seize: see PREHENSILE] 1. Archaic plunder; booty 2. an animal hunted or killed for food by another animal 3. a person or thing that falls victim to someone or something 4 … English World dictionary
prey — prey1 [ preı ] noun uncount ** 1. ) an animal that is caught by another animal and eaten: Spiders usually catch their prey by building webs. => BIRD OF PREY 2. ) someone that a criminal or dishonest person attacks, cheats, or harms: VICTIM: a… … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
prey — prey1 [preı] n [Date: 1200 1300; : Old French; Origin: preie, from Latin praeda something seized ] 1.) [singular,U] an animal, bird etc that is hunted and eaten by another animal = ↑predator ▪ a tiger stalking its prey 2.) bird/beast of prey a… … Dictionary of contemporary English
prey on — 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 — 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 on (someone) — 1. to commit a crime against someone. Police are looking for street criminals who prey on tourists. Gangs that prey upon small business owners in the city s Chinatown may be spreading to the suburbs. 2. to have an effect on someone. Guilt preyed… … New idioms dictionary
prey on someone's mind — prey on someone’s mind phrase if something preys on your mind, you think and worry about it all the time The criticism preyed on my mind. Thesaurus: to make someone worried or nervoussynonym Main entry: prey … Useful english dictionary
prey on someone's mind — prey on (someone s) mind if something preys on someone s mind, they worry about it for a long time. I lost my temper with her the other day and it s been preying on my mind ever since … New idioms dictionary
prey on mind — prey on (someone s) mind if something preys on someone s mind, they worry about it for a long time. I lost my temper with her the other day and it s been preying on my mind ever since … New idioms dictionary
prey — [[t]pre͟ɪ[/t]] preys, preying, preyed 1) N UNCOUNT COLL: usu with poss A creature s prey are the creatures that it hunts and eats in order to live. → See also bird of prey Electric rays stun their prey with huge electrical discharges... These… … English dictionary
