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

• pries
  plural

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

• pries
  plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pries
  plural

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

Explanation

To pry is to try and find something out that is none of your business. We all hate people who pry, sticking their nose into our personal affairs, and it is an annoying and disrespectful habit. We are taught as children to ask questions, but sometimes those questions are used to pry, or peek into someone's private business. A nosy person will peek into some else's life the same way one might use a crowbar to pry open a crate (though — alert! — that pry has a different origin). Our word is thought to come from a word related to the Old English verb beprīwan, "to wink," which evolved into the Middle English prie, "to peer in," which gives us today's meaning.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pry pries pried prying

Arab governments are now weighing whether they might need to become more aggressive in trying to pry open their critical trade routes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026

And whoever has access to that information has the extraordinary ability to pry into a person’s private life.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

Perez’s case is one of several in which the Civilian Oversight Commission has tried unsuccessfully to pry records out of the Sheriff’s Department.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

We asked some parenting experts for their tips on how to pry those phones away from their offspring's hands – even if only for a short while.

From BBC ● Mar. 26, 2026

With some work, she was able to pry it up.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Spot gold pries are down 5% at $4,616 a troy ounce while silver is down 7.8% at $78.18 an ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 2, 2026

Concerned, she visits a doctor, and when the specialist pries the welt open, hundreds of small spiders crawl out.

From National Geographic ● Jan. 12, 2024

U.S. oil and gas production, however, is on track to reach record highs in 2023 and 2024 due in part to rising oil pries.

From Reuters ● Sep. 18, 2023

So of course he pries it out of her: she's quitting.

From Salon ● May 22, 2023

The foil crinkles as he pries the layers apart.

From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day

The only thing that really matters is whether the kid runs out the door to play, or has to be pried off the bed like a cat that hears the bathtub running.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

In 1947, after reports of strong odors were reported, a huge crowd on the street watched as police and city officials pried their way inside to look for the brothers’ bodies.

From Salon ● Jul. 23, 2026

But after she died, I wish I would have pried a little more out of this woman that we all loved.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

An American diplomat and his Chinese counterpart pried the combatants apart.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

With a rock and a spike, she punched a hole and drank the juice, cracked the shell and pried out the flesh.

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

Outside, the parcel is lined with dozens of palm trees to ensure complete privacy, while a dramatic gated courtyard provides an idyllic place to relax away from prying eyes.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

"The deportation machine has kind of turned more surgical, so to speak. There's less activity in the cities where there's a lot more prying eyes," Budiandri said.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Swope Soccer Village, where Sporting’s developmental team trains, was just the place to keep clear from prying eyes and long camera lenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network: it creates a secure private tunnel over public networks, such as the internet, to shield your online activity from prying eyes.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

I keep prying and prying until the strip moves a little more.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

Related Words

• extract
• pull
• wrest