What Is Prowling In The Dating World?

As if navigating the dating world wasn't enough work as it is — now, there's a whole dictionary of dating terms to memorize on top of it. They seem kind of silly, but these terms can help describe what's going on in the relationship. Are they ghosting you? Are you submarining them? And what the heck is benching? Well, get your dating dictionary out, because we have a new word for you: prowling. Consider prowling ghosting's evil twin; it refers to the way a person eagerly hunts you down just to play with your emotions.

They're out in the dating scene, waiting to pounce on the next heart they can break. Think of them as a lion on the prowl for their next meal (scary, right?). The problem is, you can't tell someone is a prowler until it's too late. If you aren't sure whether or not you're dealing with one of these vicious carnivores, see if any of the following traits resonate with you. If they do, run as fast as you can, little zebra.

The biggest difference between ghosting and prowling is that prowlers come back to check on you; they don't disappear forever. You could argue this is more frustrating than ghosting, because you don't know whether or not they're into you. At least when someone ghosts you, you get the point they're over it and have moved on. Prowlers, on the other hand, want to keep you guessing. It's a fun game they like to play. They might be crazy about you at first, showering you with affection and attention, and then all of a sudden ... they're gone.

When a prowler is on the hunt, they'll do anything they can to sweep you off of your feet. They want you to know they're interested — that's how they pull you in. Don't be surprised when you wake up to them cooking you breakfast or they have flowers delivered to your job. They come at you full-speed-ahead, which is why it hurts so much when they dip without saying a word. It's like an emotional curveball. The sad thing is, they're probably doing the exact same thing to another woman who is going to fall for their BS too.

Maybe they met someone else. Or perhaps they woke up and decided they were bored with you. When someone is prowling, that doesn't necessarily mean they don't like you. In most cases, they probably do, but you aren't the person they see themselves being with in the end. We hate to say it, but you're just the means to an end. Prowlers love playing games, and once they know they can come in and out of your life at leisure, you've lost.

No matter the situation, it sucks to be prowled. The worst part is the prowler acts as if they didn't totally blow you off and charms their way back into your life, so you let them in and the cycle begins again. That's why your best defense against a prowler is to keep that entry door nailed shut. Forget "just hearing them out." When they charm you, remember the pain they caused by blowing you off. You're better off not dating anyone than dating someone who treats you like a plaything.