pry
1[ prahy ]
/ praɪ /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
Origin of pry
11275–1325; Middle English pryen,prien< ?
Words nearby pry
Definition 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
21800–10; 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. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for pry
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