prise
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
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to force open by levering
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to extract or obtain with difficulty
they had to prise the news out of him
noun
Etymology
Origin of prise
C17: from Old French prise a taking, from prendre to take, from Latin prehendere; see prize 1
Explanation
To prise is to extract or move something using force, the way you'd prise your stolen diary out of your snooping sibling's hands. The verb prise is good for when you use an effortful physical force. If you're struggling to open an old window that's painted shut, you may need a screwdriver to prise it open. Don't mistake prise for its homonym prize, which as a verb means "to cherish or appreciate." The two words do share a root, the Latin prendere, "to grasp, seize, or catch."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ivan was working at a 52-room hostel, Seely Hirst House in Nottingham, when Calocane approached the building and tried to prise open one of the windows.
From BBC • Mar. 10, 2026
Jalibert landed his fourth conversion to bring his team to within a point but could not then prise another gap in the Pau defence.
From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025
However, he signed a four-year deal at the Tractor Boys and would be expensive for United to prise from Ipswich.
From BBC • Oct. 28, 2024
Nd5!!, putting a knight en prise with a rook already hanging in order to run down the Black king.
From Washington Times • Dec. 19, 2023
He remembered: He had even handled the thing as they passed it around, each trying in turn to prise it open.
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
