pry

¹ American  

[prahy] / praɪ /

verb (used without object)

pried, prying

1. to inquire impertinently or unnecessarily into something.

   to pry into the personal affairs of others.

2. to look closely or curiously; peer; peep.

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noun

plural

pries

1. an impertinently inquisitive person.

2. an act of prying.

pry ² American  

[prahy] / praɪ /

verb (used with object)

pried, prying

1. to move, raise, or open by leverage.

2. to get, separate, or ferret out with difficulty.

   to pry a secret out of someone;

   We finally pried them away from the TV.

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noun

plural

pries

1. a tool, as a crowbar, for raising, moving, or opening something by leverage.

2. the leverage exerted.

pry ¹ British  

/ praɪ /

verb

1. to make an impertinent or uninvited inquiry (about a private matter, topic, etc)

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noun

1. the act of prying

2. a person who pries

pry ² British  

/ praɪ /

verb

1. to force open by levering

2. to extract or obtain with difficulty

   they had to pry the news out of him

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Etymology

Origin of pry¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English prien, “look about, peep”; further origin unknown

Origin of pry²

First recorded in 1800–10; back formation from prize ³, taken as a plural noun or 3rd person singular verb

Explanation

To pry is to try and find something out that is none of your business. We all hate people who pry, sticking their nose into our personal affairs, and it is an annoying and disrespectful habit. We are taught as children to ask questions, but sometimes those questions are used to pry, or peek into someone's private business. A nosy person will peek into some else's life the same way one might use a crowbar to pry open a crate (though — alert! — that pry has a different origin). Our word is thought to come from a word related to the Old English verb beprīwan, "to wink," which evolved into the Middle English prie, "to peer in," which gives us today's meaning.

Example Sentences

Brent Pry doesn’t shy away from the reality, or the intentions, as he enters his second season as the coach at Virginia Tech.

From Washington Times • Aug. 16, 2023

Gallo and Pry both wore the Hokies’ school colors for their interviews: a maroon suit, white dress shirt and orange tie.

From Washington Times • Jul. 26, 2023

The State Patrol has asked anyone who may have seen the crash — or has dashcam footage of the area around 11 a.m. — to contact Detective Michael Pry at 360-827-1401.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 17, 2023

“We didn’t make plays when we needed to,” Virginia Tech coach Brent Pry said.

From Washington Post • Nov. 5, 2022

“Now give me a hand! Pry and lift!”

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

Related Words

• extract
• pull
• wrest