pry

[ prahy ]

/ praɪ /

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See synonyms for: pry / pried / prying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), pried, pry·ing.

to inquire impertinently or unnecessarily into something: to pry into the personal affairs of others.

to look closely or curiously; peer; peep.

noun, plural pries.

an impertinently inquisitive person.

an act of prying.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of pry

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

Other definitions for pry (2 of 2)

pry²

[ prahy ]

/ praɪ /

verb (used with object), pried, pry·ing.

to move, raise, or open by leverage.

to get, separate, or ferret out with difficulty: to pry a secret out of someone;We finally pried them away from the TV.

noun, plural pries.

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

the leverage exerted.

Origin of pry

First recorded in 1800–10; back formation from prize³, taken as a plural noun or 3rd person singular verb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pry in a sentence

In the title story, a teacher pries apart a slow-dancing couple, only to confront how he let the love of his life slip away.
This Week’s Hot Reads: Sept. 2, 2013|Damaris Colhoun|September 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And it pries the door to progress on the peace front a little wider.
Good For Livni And Good For Peace|Brent E. Sasley|February 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Th' wolf springs at his prey, an' with wan terrific lunch pries him open.
Mr. Dooley Says|Finley Dunne
Alone among living creatures, man has the thirst for knowledge; he alone pries into the mysteries of things.
The Life of the Fly|J. Henri Fabre

Pries, although enjoying a high reputation in the city, had long been in a bad way.
The Chronicles of Newgate, v. 2/2|Arthur Griffiths
Another set of frauds, which resembled those of Pries in principle, although not in practice, were soon afterwards discovered.
The Chronicles of Newgate, v. 2/2|Arthur Griffiths
The humorists of the woods have it that the cookee pries up the sun when he jacks the big pot out of the bean-hole.
King Spruce, A Novel|Holman Day

British Dictionary definitions for pry (1 of 2)

pry¹

/ (praɪ) /

verb pries, prying or pried

(intr often foll by into) to make an impertinent or uninvited inquiry (about a private matter, topic, etc)

noun plural pries

the act of prying

a person who pries

Word Origin for pry

C14: of unknown origin

British Dictionary definitions for pry (2 of 2)

pry²

/ (praɪ) /

verb pries, prying or pried

to force open by levering

US and Canadian to extract or obtain with difficultythey had to pry the news out of him

Equivalent term (in Britain and other countries): prise

Word Origin for pry

C14: of unknown origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pry

Origin of pry

Other definitions for pry (2 of 2)

Origin of pry

Words related to pry

How to use pry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pry (1 of 2)

Word Origin for pry

British Dictionary definitions for pry (2 of 2)

Word Origin for pry