pry
pry Lexical Profile
pry Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To inquire too closely, intrusively, or impertinently into another person's private affairs.
"I do not mean to pry, but you have seemed unusually quiet all afternoon."
North American To raise, move, or force open something using a lever or mechanical force.
"We had to pry the lid off the old wooden crate with a screwdriver."
To extract or obtain information, a secret, or a concession from someone only with great difficulty or persistence.
"The journalist managed to pry a few details about the upcoming merger from the spokesperson."
• noun
North American A heavy bar or lever, such as a crowbar, used for raising, moving, or forcing open objects; the leverage applied with such a tool.
"The carpenter used an iron pry to lift the floorboards without splitting the old wood."
An excessively inquisitive or meddlesome person who intrudes into the private affairs of others.
"Our neighbor had a reputation as the neighborhood pry who always watched from behind the curtains."
• Rhymes for pry
Word Origin & Etymology
The word "pry" represents two distinct historical roots: the sense meaning "to look closely or inquisitively" dates to 14th-century Middle English (prien), of uncertain origin, while the mechanical sense meaning "to raise or open with a lever" emerged in the 19th century as a back-formation from "prize" (meaning a lever), which was mistaken for a plural form.