1.
prey; food for animals
An animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal.
2.
victim; easy target; prey (figurative)
A person or thing that falls victim to something harmful or exploitative. Often used figuratively for someone taken advantage of.
Many small and medium businesses fell victim to bankruptcy due to the recession.
餌食 has both a literal sense (an animal hunted and eaten by a predator) and a more common figurative sense (a person or thing that falls victim to something harmful). The figurative usage carries a strong negative connotation of being helplessly consumed or exploited.
Key pattern
- ～の餌食になる — to become prey to; to fall victim to
- This is by far the most common construction with this word
Usage
- The figurative sense is more common in everyday language than the literal one
- Often used in warnings about scams, exploitation, or vulnerability