: the killing by one living organism of another for food
These small fish are most vulnerable to predation just after sunset, when larger fish, such as barracuda and jacks, chase them into the shallow water near shore to feed on them. Anne Brooke
… elephant seals historically avoided the mainland to protect the newborns from predation by grizzly bears. Carolyn Longstreth
In other words, just as vascular plants make tannins, phenols, sterols and alkaloids to defend against predation, it is likely that cyanobacteria synthesize poisons to ward off attack by fellow planktonic species. Wayne Carmichael
: a mode of life in which food is primarily obtained by the killing and consuming of animals
Predation is important to an understanding of ancient ecology because the food chain helps determine the structure of biological communities. Derek Briggs and Harry Whittington
Weeks or months later, depending on ambient temperatures, a beetle returns to the water to resume a life of predation.Natural History
2
: the act of injuring, exploiting, or plundering others for personal gain
A burglary occurs every 10 seconds, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Such predation keeps Americans uneasy …Consumer Reports
To the traditionalists, predation is any price or product strategy intended to impose costs on a competitor.Insight
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebIn July, a person recorded the aftermath of a seal predation off Pemaquid Point in Bristol. Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2022 Um, mostly due to pollution, habitat loss, species competition from invasive species and, uh, predation. Laura Johnston, cleveland, 21 July 2022 Hand-rearing prevents parental predation and neglect, which is common for clouded leopards. Amethyst Tate, PEOPLE.com, 7 July 2022 But in sites with active cougar predation, the donkeys were only seen during the day. Sam Zlotnik, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Aug. 2022 Is a solitary hunter well versed in endurance predation. Henry Alford, The New Yorker, 29 July 2022 Another common approach to reducing livestock predation is to ensure that wild prey populations are healthy and adequate to sustain the local snow leopard population. Ben Ayers, Outside Online, 27 July 2022 Apple reportedly gave its immersive engineers additional incentives to protect them from predation. Charlie Fink, Forbes, 30 Apr. 2022 Another advantage is escaping predation — no one can eat the biggest fish in a pond. Sumeet Kulkarni, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English predacion, from Latin praedation-, praedatio, from praedari