verb (used without object)
1.
to inquire impertinently or unnecessarily into something: to pry into the personal affairs of others.
2.
to look closely or curiously; peer; peep.
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English pryen, prien < ?
1275–1325; Middle English pryen, prien < ?
00:10
Pry
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is subtilize. Does it mean:
| to introduce subtleties into or argue subtly about. |
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
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
3.
a tool, as a crowbar, for raising, moving, or opening something by leverage.
4.
the leverage exerted.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To pry
Collins
World English Dictionary
pry1 (praɪ) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (often foll by into) , pries, prying, pried | |
| 1. | to make an impertinent or uninvited inquiry (about a private matter, topic, etc) |
| —n , pries, prying, pried, pries | |
| 2. | the act of prying |
| 3. | a person who pries |
| [C14: of unknown origin] | |
| pry2 (praɪ) | |
| —vb , pries, prying, pried | |
| 1. | to force open by levering |
| 2. | (US), (Canadian) to extract or obtain with difficulty: they had to pry the news out of him |
| [C14: of unknown origin] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
pry
"look inquisitively," 1307, from prien "to peer in," of unknown origin, perhaps from O.E. bepriwan "to wink."
pry
"raise by force," 1823 (originally also a noun, "an instrument for prying, a crowbar"), alteration of prize (as though it were a plural) in obsolete sense of "lever" (c.1300), from O.Fr. prise "a taking hold, grasp" (see prize (n.2)).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Sea stars move over a mussel and use their arms to pry open the mussel's shell.
Their unique characteristic is the crossed tips that are used to pry open the cones for pine nuts.
Some pry open clam shells, others drill holes through them.
Failing to do so, the would-be thief then attempted unsuccessfully to pry the box open with a pry bar.
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