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
-
an impertinently inquisitive person.
-
an act of prying.
verb (used with object)
-
to move, raise, or open by leverage.
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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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a tool, as a crowbar, for raising, moving, or opening something by leverage.
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the leverage exerted.
verb
noun
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the act of prying
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a person who pries
verb
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to force open by levering
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to extract or obtain with difficulty
they had to pry the news out of him
Other Word 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.
She accused Iwamasa of threatening legal action “to pry a settlement from workman’s comp.”
From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 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
France, the U.K. and the Soviet Union worked together in mine-sweeping operations to pry the chokepoint open.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 16, 2026
The renewed effort to pry open these archives stems from the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which Congress passed with bipartisan support.
From Salon • Dec. 9, 2025
He drew Hazel’s sword and used it to pry up some cobblestones, unearthing a big tangle of spiky roots.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
