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prying

 - 9 dictionary results

pry⋅ing

  [prahy-ing]
Use prying in a Sentence
–adjective
1. that pries; looking or searching curiously.
2. impertinently or unnecessarily curious or inquisitive.
Origin:
1950–55; pry 1 + -ing 2

Related forms:
pry⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
pry⋅ing⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. peeping, peering, peeking. 2. nosy. See curious.

prie

  [pree]
–noun, verb (used with object) Scot. and North England.
pree.

pry

1  [prahy] verb, pried, pry⋅ing, noun, plural pries.
–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.
–noun
3. an impertinently inquisitive person.
4. an act of prying.
Origin:
1275–1325; ME pryen, prien < ?

pry

2  [prahy] verb, pried, pry⋅ing, noun, plural pries.
–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.
Origin:
1800–10; back formation from prize 3 , taken as a pl. n. or 3rd pers. sing. verb

pree

  [pree] noun, verb, preed, pree⋅ing. Scot. and North England
–noun
1. a test, trial, or taste; a test by sampling.
–verb (used with object)
2. to try, test, or taste.
—Idiom
3. pree the mouth of, Scot. to kiss.
Also, prie.

Origin:
1690–1700; shortened form of preive, ME preve (n.), preven (v.) < OF pr(o)eve, preuver; see prove
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To prying
pry 1   (prī)   
intr.v.   pried (prīd), pry·ing, pries (prīz)
To look or inquire closely, curiously, or impertinently: was always prying into the affairs of others.
n.   pl. pries (prīz)

  1. The act of prying.

  2. An excessively or impertinently inquisitive person.


[Middle English prien.]
pry 2   (prī)   
tr.v.   pried (prīd), pry·ing, pries (prīz)

  1. To raise, move, or force open with a lever.

  2. To obtain with effort or difficulty: pried a confession out of the suspect.

n.   pl. pries (prīz)
Something, such as a crowbar, that is used to apply leverage.

[Alteration of prize3.]
pry·ing   (prī'ĭng)   
adj.  Insistently or impertinently curious or inquisitive: ignored the prying journalists' questions.
pry'ing·ly adv.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Word Origin & History

pry  (1)
"look inquisitively," 1307, from prien "to peer in," of unknown origin, perhaps from O.E. bepriwan "to wink."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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