preyprey2 noun [uncountableU]1journalismFINANCE the TARGET COMPANY (=the company that another company wants to buy) in a takeoverMIN would prefer to be predator (=a company that buys another company) rather than prey, but it was outbid in its last attempt to buy a regional newspaper.
2be/fall prey to something to be unable to avoid a harmful or difficult situationAfter opening higher, the OTC market fell prey to profit-taking.
The once-soaring South Korean economy has fallen prey to steep wage increases and high inflation.