any animal that lives by preying on other animals
"The tiger is a fearsome predator that hunts deer in the dense forest at night."
Any animal or other organism that hunts and kills other non-plant organisms (their prey), primarily for food.
"The lion stalked its prey across the savanna, acting as a fierce predator to secure its next meal."
In plain English: A predator is an animal that hunts and eats other living things for food.
"The lion is a predator that hunts gazelles for food."
Usage: Use "predator" to describe any animal that actively hunts and kills others, such as lions hunting zebras, rather than scavengers who eat dead animals. This term applies strictly to biological hunters in the wild or metaphorical contexts like corporate raiders, not to humans eating prepared food at home.
The word predator comes from the Latin term praedator, which originally meant someone who loots or pillages. It entered English through this lineage of words related to booty and spoils, eventually taking on its current meaning for an animal that hunts other creatures for food.