I. ˈprī intransitive verb
( pried ; pried ; prying ; pries )
Etymology: Middle English prien
: to look closely or inquisitively : peer curiously : peep
pry into every corner of the house
especially : to make a searching or presumptuous inquiry or investigation
no need to pry for psychopathological causes — T.S.Eliot
— usually used with into
pry into people's secrets — Virginia Woolf
pried curiously into the meaning of nature — V.L.Parrington
II. transitive verb
( pried ; pried ; prying ; pries )
Etymology: back-formation ( prize being taken as 3d singular present) from prize (VI)
1. : to raise, move, or pull apart with a pry or lever : prize
pry up a floorboard
pry the lid off a can
pry away a large stone blocking the entrance
prying the heavy slabs apart
2. : to extract, detach, or open with difficulty
pry military information out of a prisoner
deputies he was able to pry away from the … leadership — Paul Johnson
try to pry loose that 10 percent on the … deal — Bennett Cerf
have pried open enough pocketbooks — D.C.Morrill
III. noun
( -es )
Etymology: back-formation ( prize being taken as plural) from prize (V)
1. : a tool (as a lever or crowbar) for prying or prizing ; especially : one with a claw end for removing spikes
2. : leverage