fall prey
verb1
To be affected, or overcome by, a bad situation; used with to.
- Many children at our school have fallen prey to the 'flu bug.
- Inexperienced teachers sometimes fall prey to fears that they do not know enough.
1 more example
- Even now gay rights ordinances are in danger of being repealed by local and statewide initiatives. Indeed, San Francisco, the self proclaimed gay capital, is in the danger of falling prey to the anti-gays.1974 February 2, Edward Sebesta, “Launching the Gay '80s: Gay Rights Under Siege In Santa Clara County”, in Gay Community News, volume 1, number 32, page 5: