predator

noun

USPRED-uh-tur/ˈpɹɛd.ə.tɚ/UKPRED-uh-tuh/ˈpɹɛd.ə.tə/

Pluralpredators

3 meanings of predator

1
nouncountable
An animal or other organism that hunts and kills other living things, mainly for food.
The shark is an efficient predator, able to detect traces of blood from far away.
Wolves and other predators help keep deer populations in check throughout the forest.
Similarhunter, killer
Oppositeprey
Note
Behind the biologist's word is a looter's. Latin praedātor came from praedor, "to loot, pillage," and that came from praeda, which meant booty and prey at once. So the plunderer meaning stays closest to the Latin, and the animal sense reads as the same idea carried into nature. In practical writing it often names a threat to manage: beehives are sited to avoid predators, and frogs and lizards are the usual culprits.
2
nouncountable
A person who seeks out and exploits others for sexual gratification, often targeting the vulnerable.
Investigators warned that the predator had used dating apps to approach his victims.
The school taught students how to recognize predators and report them safely.
Similarabuser, molester
Oppositevictim
3
nouncountable
A person who attacks and plunders others in order to gain wealth or advantage.
He became a financial predator, buying struggling firms only to sell off their parts at a profit.
History remembers some conquerors as little more than predators hungry for plunder.
Similarraider, shark, vulture, plunderer, exploiter
Oppositeprey, victim

Practice

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Origin

Borrowed from Latin praedātor, from praedor ("to loot, pillage"), which comes from praeda ("booty, spoils, prey").