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

• pries
  plural

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

• pries
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pries
  plural

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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

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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

See Examples For:

pry pries pried prying

Too many overlapping yarns in a movie make for a convoluted final product, a big clump of colorful material that’s too dense to pry apart to see the substance lurking below.

From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026

Still, it’s tough to pry focus away from the powerful bull market in stocks.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

And whoever has access to that information has the extraordinary ability to pry into a person’s private life.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

But whether it’s overpaying in restricted free agency or working out a sign-and-trade deal, pry him away from the Jazz.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 28, 2026

I expect Dad to pry the device from her hands, but his legs collapse from under him.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Spot gold pries are down 5% at $4,616 a troy ounce while silver is down 7.8% at $78.18 an ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

Used by emergency personnel after serious car crashes, the hydraulic tool pries open or cuts through wreckage to rescue someone inside.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2024

Concerned, she visits a doctor, and when the specialist pries the welt open, hundreds of small spiders crawl out.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 12, 2024

U.S. oil and gas production, however, is on track to reach record highs in 2023 and 2024 due in part to rising oil pries.

From Reuters ● Sep. 18, 2023

With both hands he pries the glasses from her face, clasping the frames where they meet her temples.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

In 1947, after reports of strong odors were reported, a huge crowd on the street watched as police and city officials pried their way inside to look for the brothers’ bodies.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

When the packages arrived, I pried open a pack and popped the top mint into my mouth, despite my wife’s admonition, “Are you insane?”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 4, 2026

The copper pirates have pried heavy metal plates from sidewalks to access underground lines.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025

Gilbert’s book has pried open a feminist door that felt long slammed shut.

From Slate ● May 12, 2025

I wanted to go to the United States of America, but my uncle was big and strong, so he pried me away with little difficulty.

From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince

This is an uncomplicated yarn about a man prying open his heart and nudging other hard nuts to do the same.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2026

Celebrities and other high-profile people spend up to $1 million on security for their weddings to guard against prying eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

"The deportation machine has kind of turned more surgical, so to speak. There's less activity in the cities where there's a lot more prying eyes," Budiandri said.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Outside, the home features a glittering lap pool that overlooks the ocean, while hedges that border the 1-acre property help to ensure complete privacy from prying eyes, something that Doherty is said to have prized.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026

A gravely ill, bedridden Jenna would have no use for short red skirts or floppy flowered hats, or jewel-trimmed blouses, and that invalid picture had to be preserved for prying eyes.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

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Related Words

• extract
• pull
• wrest

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