| 词汇 | prey on |
| 释义 | Idiom prey onprey 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 on him for years after the accident. Usage notes: sometimes said about something that has an effect on people's emotions: The ads prey on our fear of being alone. Phr V prey on preys, preying, preyed prey on/upon sth if an animal preys on another animal, it catches it and uses it as its foodSpiders prey on flies and other small insects. prey on/upon sb to hurt or deceive a particular group of people, especially people who are weak and can easily be hurt or deceivedHe would attack at night, preying on lone women in their twenties and thirties.It's particularly contemptible that these sort of people prey on the elderly. ! Prey upon is more formal than prey on, and is mostly used in writing.1. prey on/upon sth if an animal preys on another animal, it kills it and uses it for food: Wolves prey on small deer. Owls fly low and prey on insects, mice, and other small animals.2. prey on/upon sb to attack, hurt, or get money dishonestly from a particular group of people who are easy to hurt or trick: Gangs of thieves have been preying on foreign tourists at the city's central train station. Drug dealers prey on young people at parties and music events, offering them drugs cheaply until they are hooked.prey on sb's fears (=use people's fears to get advantages for yourself) He accused environmental groups of preying on people's fears about food safety.3. prey on your mind/thoughts/conscience if something preys on your mind, you worry about it a lot and you cannot stop thinking about it.: The accident has been preying on my mind all week. Timothy's words were beginning to prey on her mind. prey (up)on (someone or something)1. Of a predatory animal, to hunt and feed on another animal. Mountain lions have been coming down into town to prey on people's pets. You can tell that this bird preys upon insects by the shape of its beak. 2. To exploit, victimize, or take advantage of someone or something. There are many thieves and con-artists in the city who prey on unsuspecting tourists. These megacorporations are all too willing to prey upon consumers. prey (up)on someone or somethingFig. to take advantage of someone or something. (See also prey on something. Upon is formal and less commonly used than on.) 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. prey on something[for an animal] to feed on another animal as a matter of habit or preference. Owls prey on mice. Many birds prey on snakes. prey on1. Plunder or pillage; also, make a profit at someone else's expense, victimize. For example, Vikings preyed on the coastal towns of England, or The rich have been preying on the poor for centuries. [Late 1500s] 2. Hunt, especially in order to eat, as in Their cat preys on all the rodents in the neighborhood. [c. 1600] 3. Exert a baneful or injurious effect, as in Guilt preyed on his mind. [c. 1700] prey onv. 1. To hunt and kill something for food: Owls prey on mice. 2. To exploit or make a profit at the expense of someone; take advantage of someone: Pickpockets often prey on unsuspecting tourists. 3. To exert a harmful or injurious effect on something or someone: Guilt preyed on him, and eventually led him to confess. |
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