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.
See Examples For:
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
Inside was a note which had become glued together with age, so experts used special techniques and chemicals to prise it apart.
From BBC ● Feb. 21, 2025
It is clearly a view shared by manager Mikel Arteta, hence the failed bid to prise England striker Ollie Watkins away from Aston Villa during this window.
From BBC ● Feb. 3, 2025
Plenty of pundits believe the north London side will be experienced enough now to prise the trophy away from City and hold off other challengers.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2024
William Twyti stood back, and courteously blew the prise.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
Moreover, Papic believes the Strait of Hormuz will be prised open shortly, not just because of America’s blitzkrieg but by a coordinated response from the rest of the world.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 16, 2026
There were celebratory claps and cheers of "Christiania", as locals prised up heavy cobblestones and tossed them into wheelbarrows, one by one.
From BBC ● Apr. 6, 2024
The significant international response helped bring about some incredible moments of the trapped being prised from under the rubble, even days later.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2023
Aleyna was gently prised from the ruins of a flattened apartment block, Turkish broadcaster TRT Haber reported.
From BBC ● Feb. 16, 2023
They prised an odd-shaped fungus growth off a tree.
From "The Incredible Journey" by Sheila Burnford
Liverpool are interested in the 25-year-old Sweden forward but know they would have to break the British transfer record to even stand a chance of prising him from the Magpies.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2025
One black-clad officer crouched near the head of the grave, delicately prising a green-tinted hand free from the dirt, while a colleague stood by, holding a clipboard, making careful notes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2022
“I remember that feeling of prising open a lid to express what I wanted to do and feeling so stupid immediately after. At the time I thought: ‘Oh, they’re right.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 31, 2019
Several of the officers went into the water to try to free them, with Ms Wright going underwater and prising the car door open with a crowbar.
From BBC ● Nov. 30, 2017
Ron said, prising a fish bone out from between his teeth.
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.
