Definition

1. Noun:

   • An animal hunted or caught for food: A creature that is pursued, captured, or killed by a predator or hunter.
   • A surface excavation for extracting stone or slate: An open-pit mine from which stone, rock, or minerals are extracted.
   • A person who is the aim of an attack: A person who is the target of pursuit, criticism, ridicule, or exploitation.

2. Verb:

   • To extract (stone or other materials) from a quarry: To dig out or cut stone, marble, slate, etc., from an open excavation.

Usage Examples

• Noun (animal):

  • The lion stalked its quarry through the tall grass.
  • The eagle returned to its nest with its quarry.

• Noun (excavation):

  • The old granite quarry is now a deep, blue lake.
  • They visited a slate quarry in the mountains.

• Noun (person as target):

  • The journalist became the quarry of relentless online harassment.
  • In the investigation, the corrupt official was the primary quarry.

• Verb:

  • The company quarries limestone for building materials.
  • This marble was quarried from a famous site in Italy.

Advanced Usage

• "to be someone's quarry": to be the object of someone's pursuit or attack.

  • The fugitive knew he was the police's quarry.

• "to work a quarry": to be engaged in the operation of extracting stone from a quarry.

  • His family has worked this quarry for three generations.

Variants and Related Words

• Quarrying (n): The process, industry, or activity of extracting stone from a quarry.

  • Quarrying has shaped the landscape of the region.

• Quarrier (n): A person who works in a quarry.

  • The quarrier skillfully split the stone.

Synonyms

• Noun (animal): Prey, game, kill.
• Noun (excavation): Pit, mine, stone pit, opencast.
• Noun (person): Target, victim, object, prey.
• Verb: Extract, mine, dig out, excavate.

Related Phrases

• "At the quarry face": At the location within a quarry where stone is actively being cut or extracted; often used metaphorically to mean at the forefront of difficult work.
  • The geologists were working right at the quarry face.

Idioms

• "To have a quarry in sight": To have identified and be pursuing a target. (This is a less common, more literal idiom.)
  • The detective finally had her quarry in sight.

Noun

1. animal hunted or caught for food
2. a surface excavation for extracting stone or slate
   • a British term for `quarry' is `stone pit'
3. a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
   • he fell prey to muggers
   • everyone was fair game
   • the target of a manhunt

Verb

1. extract (something such as stones) from or as if from a quarry
   • quarry marble