pry
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to inquire impertinently or unnecessarily into something.
to pry into the personal affairs of others.
-
to look closely or curiously; peer; peep.
noun
-
pries
plural
-
an impertinently inquisitive person.
-
an act of prying.
verb (used with object)
-
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
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pries
plural
-
a tool, as a crowbar, for raising, moving, or opening something by leverage.
-
the leverage exerted.
verb
noun
-
the act of prying
-
a person who pries
verb
-
to force open by levering
-
to extract or obtain with difficulty
they had to pry the news out of him
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing pry
"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney
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Holes
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List 14
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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:
Still, it’s tough to pry focus away from the powerful bull market in stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026
They were able to pry one open and found "several victims - we don't yet know exactly how many," said Brecht Speybrouck, spokesperson for the Brussels Labour Prosecutor's Office.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 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
With a package highlighted by next year’s first-round pick and Verse, he was able to pry away Garrett from Cleveland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 2, 2026
When we came in, Noorvik was opening a box with a pry bar.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
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
He doesn't last long, though, because Laszlo pries the truth out of him.
From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2023
‘Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies. A bad end comes to a person who pries.’
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
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
An American diplomat and his Chinese counterpart pried the combatants apart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026
The copper pirates have pried heavy metal plates from sidewalks to access underground lines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 29, 2025
Gilbert’s book has pried open a feminist door that felt long slammed shut.
From Slate ● May 12, 2025
When I pried open the lock meant to keep the beasts and curious children out of our kitchen hut, I nearly had to lock it again behind me, to keep myself in.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
This is an uncomplicated yarn about a man prying open his heart and nudging other hard nuts to do the same.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 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
All your traffic is routed through a remote server, masking your IP address and shielding your online activity from prying eyes.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 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
It was prying, and a bit impertinent—and she regretted the question the second it came out.
From "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
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.
