pry

¹

[ prahy ]

verb (used without object)

, pried, pry·ing.

1. to inquire impertinently or unnecessarily into something:

   to pry into the personal affairs of others.

2. to look closely or curiously; peer; peep.

noun

, plural pries.

1. an impertinently inquisitive person.
2. an act of prying.

pry

²

[ prahy ]

verb (used with object)

, pried, pry·ing.

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.

noun

, plural pries.

1. a tool, as a crowbar, for raising, moving, or opening something by leverage.
2. the leverage exerted.

pry

¹

/ praɪ /

verb

1. to force open by levering
2. to extract or obtain with difficulty

   they had to pry the news out of him

pry

²

/ praɪ /

verb

1. introften foll byinto to make an impertinent or uninvited inquiry (about a private matter, topic, etc)

noun

1. the act of prying
2. a person who pries

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of pry¹

C14: of unknown origin

Origin of pry²

C14: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

In a small area, he explains, using a pry bar to leverage a heavy piece of material onto sections of rolling steel pipe can be a way to move it to a more open area.

From Popular-Science

Escondido Police Chief Ed Varso said last week that Olson, armed with a metal pry bar, charged Moore, who backed away and gave warnings before opening fire.

From Voice of San Diego

Harvest those carefully using a strong knife or small pry bar.

From Outside Online

Knapp hopes she can pry open some of those doors for people.

From The Daily Beast

Others want to pry it out and have two votes, one on government funding and one on the Syria dough.

From The Daily Beast

Among them were the persistent efforts of a single congressman to pry out of the Pentagon the true costs of running Guantanamo.

From The Daily Beast

Andrew lifts the roof of the first house and his dad uses a small metal hook to pry the first wall of honeycombs out of the hive.

From The Daily Beast

These other benign interests are being used to pry open the door for all of these other uses.

From The Daily Beast

Many a spy of the Kaiser had tried to pry there and had been arrested and sentenced to a long term of imprisonment.

From Project Gutenberg

The banks do not pry into his moral character: they are satisfied that he meets his overdrafts and promissory notes punctually.

From Project Gutenberg

So he didn't pry into my pockets, but only felt outside with his hands, and said it was all right.

From Project Gutenberg

I hope I can pry Welborn loose from his digging and delving long enough to take me over that road again.

From Project Gutenberg

Madame Fontaine is thought, by those who seek to pry into the future, to be wiser in her wisdom than Mademoiselle Lenormand.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• extract
• pull
• wrest