predate

Exist before something

Predate means to exist or occur before something else in time: The castle predates the surrounding village by three centuries.

It also means to prey upon—a predator predates its prey.

The temporal sense dominates modern usage; the predatory sense appears mainly in scientific contexts describing hunting or parasitic relationships.

chronology

precede

Come or go first

preexistExist before another
beforePrior in time
priorExisting before another

earlier · antecedent · forerunner · precursor · anterior · prehistoric · ancient · primordial · archaic · antiquity

predation

hunt

Pursuit of quarry

preyAnimal being hunted
carnivoreCreature eating only animals
stalkPlant's vertical support

ambush · kill · capture · pounce · quarry · pursue · attack · devour · feed · survival

prophecy

foreshadow

Indicate future events

foretellPredict future events
presageIndicate beforehand
portendIndicate future events

harbinger · omen · augury · precursor · herald · anticipate · predict · forewarn · prophesy · sign

Categories

Come beforeprecede, lead, go first

Opposites

temporal sequence

predatepostdate

Assign a later time

follow · succeed · come after · supersede · ensue

predatory relationship

predateflee

Depart swiftly from threat

predatory behavior

predatenurture

Support growth and development

protect · ignore

Phrases

natural predatorsAnimals that inherently hunt others
sexual predatorOne who exploits others
apex predatorsDominant hunters, no natural enemies
predatory lendingExploitative loan terms
predatory fishCarnivore of the waters
predator and prey

Family

predator, predatory, predators, predation, predated, predates, predating

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