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

Example Sentences

The feature doesn’t protect you from all prying eyes.

From The Wall Street Journal

Using her beak, C.C. pried open a long thin door in the belly of the clock, thus revealing an intricate display of rusted gears and springs and chains and doodads creaking away.

From Literature

“His name is Rump … haaa-cough-cough-cough …” Gran gave Mother something warm to drink and pried me from her arms.

From Literature

I would pry them off with my fingers and eat them standing at the stove, like a tiny kitchen thief.

From Salon

In most cases the “mummy portraits”—as the paintings are called—came to be pried or detached from the full mummy by excavators, archaeologists or thieves.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• extract
• pull
• wrest