prey
- n. 猎物
- v. 捕食
- v. 欺凌, 剥削
- Definition
- n. an animal that is hunted and killed by another animal for food
- v. to hunt and kill animals for food
- v. to attack or exploit someone repeatedly
- Example
- The eagle circled above, searching for small prey in the field.
- 老鹰在空中盘旋，寻找田野里的小猎物。
Synonyms & Differences 近义词辨析
Compared meaning: an animal or person that is hunted or chased (noun).
比较义项：被捕食或被追捕的猎物（n.）。
- prey 本词
Prey names an animal hunted and eaten by another animal for food; it belongs to natural predation and idioms like 'bird of prey', not to a human manhunt.
prey专指被另一种动物捕猎并吃掉的动物，属于自然捕食的范畴，常见于bird of prey这类习语，而不用于指人类发起的追捕对象。
Owls swoop down silently on their prey in complete darkness.
猫头鹰在一片漆黑中悄无声息地俯冲捕食猎物。
- quarry
Quarry names a person or animal being deliberately pursued, often by hunters, hounds, or the authorities; it is more formal and literary, and common in manhunt or chase contexts, not natural predation.
quarry指被人、猎犬或当局蓄意追捕的人或动物，语域更正式、文学化，常见于缉拿、追捕一类的叙述，而不是自然界中动物之间的捕食。
The escaped prisoner became the quarry of a citywide manhunt.
那名越狱的囚犯成了全城通缉追捕的猎物。
Prey and quarry both mean something hunted. Prey is an animal hunted by another animal in nature. Quarry is a person or animal deliberately chased by hunters or police; it sounds formal and literary. Quarry can mean a stone pit; not compared.
这两个词都可以指“被猎杀或追捕的对象”，但prey专指自然界中被其他动物捕食的猎物，语气中性、偏口语和自然写作；quarry则指被人、猎犬或当局蓄意追捕的对象（可以是人也可以是动物），语域更正式、文学化，常见于追捕、缉拿一类的叙述。这里不比较quarry“采石场”这一义项。