beast of prey
1
5.1
- noun
:
bestia de presa
- Brackenridge maintained that, in hunters, "the powers of genius are inactive, the arts and sciences remain unknown, and man continues to be an animal differing in nothing but in shape from the beasts of prey that roam upon the mountain."
Well, lions and wolves and other sorts of beasts of prey, right?
- Well, lions and wolves and other sorts of beasts of prey, right?
Examples
-
"Indians resembled beasts of prey" both in occupation and in genius.
Academic text (2008) -
It's the grease that makes us get along, what separates us from the animals, beasts of burden, beasts of prey.
Fiction book (1990) -
I'll be your "little beast of prey"...
Fiction book (2000) -
Like when they give a lamb to a beast of prey in the zoo.
Fiction book (1991) -
You see, Doctor, there are as many species of vampire as there are beasts of prey.
-
They consider themselves beasts of prey and impose no restraint upon themselves. "In other words," said Traz, "they will eat us."
Fiction book (1993) -
Director: I'd have preferred you as Yelena Andreevna—the "beautiful little beast of prey."
Fiction book (2000) -
You've seen men torn apart by tigers, you've seen men devoured by lions, but now, for the first time ever, right here you will see men face off against a far more terrifying beast of prey, bigger than any man on earth:
-
The lion, known as a beast of prey, hunts antelope for food on the savannah.
-
Many beasts of prey, such as eagles and hawks, soar through the sky in search of smaller animals.
Synonyms
204
2.9
An animal that hunts and eats other animals
1
3.3
An animal that hunts and eats other animals for food
Antonyms
How Predatory
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'beast' (a large/wild animal) combined with 'prey' (an animal that is hunted) via the possessive/linking 'of' yields an animal that hunts or feeds on other animals. This straightforward noun + of + noun pattern is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Beast of prey shows a simple picture: a wild beast chasing its prey, the animal it will eat. That's why it means 'an animal that hunts and kills other animals for food'.