pry

verb \ ˈprī \

Definition of pry

pried; prying

intransitive verb

:to look closely or inquisitively; also :to make a nosy or presumptuous inquiry

Recent Examples of pry from the Web

A front door at a gas station was pried open and cigarettes and lottery tickets were stolen.

— Washington Post, "Loudoun County crime report," 23 Aug. 2017
Morozov believes the central bank can rely on big data to pry information even more forward-looking than that contained in purchasing managers’ indexes, which are usually published around the first of each month.

— anna andrianova, Bloomberg.com, "Big Data Convert Channels Big Brother to Monitor Russia's Pulse," 20 Aug. 2017
From the Kremlin’s point of view, these countries in the former Soviet bloc have been pried away by the West.

— seth j. frantzman, National Review, "Ukraine’s Army Needs Equipment from the U.S., Not All of It Weapons," 18 Aug. 2017
Hearing her screams, Maria’s father pried the animal’s jaws open and threw it on the sidewalk.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "A bushy-tailed bully is terrorizing humans in a Brooklyn park," 24 July 2017
However, the price tag set by Die Roten could put off Jose Mourinho's side and may leave Milan - who have embarked on a huge spending spree - as the frontrunners to pry him away from his Allianz Arena nightmare.

— SI.com, "Bayern Munich Will Look to Sell AC Milan & Man Utd Target Renato Sanches for £42m," 19 July 2017
Then just a few days later, a passenger on an AirAsia flight tried to pry open the emergency exit shortly before landing in India.

— cailey rizzo, Fox News, "What happens when the emergency exit door opens mid-flight?," 18 July 2017
Shortly after Trump’s election, Kushner spoke with the Russian ambassador about setting up a secret communications channel with Moscow – one safe from the prying eyes of American intelligence agencies.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "The Least the GOP Can Do Now Is Demand The Firing of Jared Kushner," 11 July 2017
Their specialized, beak-like mouths are particularly useful for prying crabs and small shellfish loose from the soft outer surface of the logs.

— ben raines | braines@al.com, AL.com, "The creatures of the Underwater Forest, as seen in the documentary," 5 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pry.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pry

Middle English prien

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

pry

verb

Definition of pry

pried; prying

transitive verb

1 :to raise, move, or pull apart with a lever :prize

2 :to extract, detach, or open with difficulty

pried the secret out of my sister

Recent Examples of pry from the Web

A front door at a gas station was pried open and cigarettes and lottery tickets were stolen.

— Washington Post, "Loudoun County crime report," 23 Aug. 2017
Morozov believes the central bank can rely on big data to pry information even more forward-looking than that contained in purchasing managers’ indexes, which are usually published around the first of each month.

— anna andrianova, Bloomberg.com, "Big Data Convert Channels Big Brother to Monitor Russia's Pulse," 20 Aug. 2017
From the Kremlin’s point of view, these countries in the former Soviet bloc have been pried away by the West.

— seth j. frantzman, National Review, "Ukraine’s Army Needs Equipment from the U.S., Not All of It Weapons," 18 Aug. 2017
Hearing her screams, Maria’s father pried the animal’s jaws open and threw it on the sidewalk.

— lisa gutierrez, kansascity, "A bushy-tailed bully is terrorizing humans in a Brooklyn park," 24 July 2017
However, the price tag set by Die Roten could put off Jose Mourinho's side and may leave Milan - who have embarked on a huge spending spree - as the frontrunners to pry him away from his Allianz Arena nightmare.

— SI.com, "Bayern Munich Will Look to Sell AC Milan & Man Utd Target Renato Sanches for £42m," 19 July 2017
Then just a few days later, a passenger on an AirAsia flight tried to pry open the emergency exit shortly before landing in India.

— cailey rizzo, Fox News, "What happens when the emergency exit door opens mid-flight?," 18 July 2017
Shortly after Trump’s election, Kushner spoke with the Russian ambassador about setting up a secret communications channel with Moscow – one safe from the prying eyes of American intelligence agencies.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "The Least the GOP Can Do Now Is Demand The Firing of Jared Kushner," 11 July 2017
Their specialized, beak-like mouths are particularly useful for prying crabs and small shellfish loose from the soft outer surface of the logs.

— ben raines | braines@al.com, AL.com, "The creatures of the Underwater Forest, as seen in the documentary," 5 July 2017

Origin and Etymology of pry

probably back-formation from ⁵prize

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1806

See Words from the same year

pry

noun

Definition of pry

1 :a tool for prying

2 :leverage

Recent Examples of pry from the Web

There were pry marks on two of the cars and the driver's side door lock and ignition were damaged on a 2005 Chrysler Sebring.

— jane ford-stewart, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "West Allis police report: Surprised burglar pulls gun on resident," 30 Aug. 2017
Police reported seeing no pry marks or damage to the door.

— brian lisik/special to cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Salesman crosses border by accident: Avon Police Blotter," 24 July 2017
To safeguard from unauthorized access, the safes are built with pry-resistant doors and steel exteriors, and the only way to unlock them is by entering a full sequential code into the keypad or using the backup key if the user forgets the code.

— andres guerra luz, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "SentrySafe launches upgraded pistol safes," 19 July 2017
An office door inside also had apparent pry marks, and several drawers in the kitchen and workers’ station had been opened. A manager who was called informed deputies a safe was missing from underneath the office desk.

— sara cardine, La Cañada Valley Sun, "Safe taken during Round Table Pizza burglary found opened, emptied in La Cañada High School parking lot," 19 July 2017
Officers found pry marks and scratches on the front doors of a 1999 Ford there.

— irv leavitt, chicagotribune.com, "Police: Loaded handgun reported stolen in recent string of Northbrook car burglaries," 26 June 2017
There were pry marks and broken wood pieces on the door, but no suspects.

— law enforcement, The Denver Post, "Aurora Crime Blotter: Church vandalized by massive graffiti image," 6 June 2017
According to police, Holling is accused of entering a building on the 800 block of St. Charles Street while in possession of various pry tools, screw drivers and cutters that could be used to break into a building.

— Elgin Courier-News, "Police Blotter: Elgin man faces drug, battery charges," 26 May 2017
Pry marks were found on a door at a home; no one entered, and nothing was stolen.

— Washington Post, "You obviously love great journalism.," 10 May 2017

First Known Use of pry

1823

PRY Defined for Kids

pry

verb \ ˈprī \

Definition of pry for Students

pried; prying

1 :to raise or open with a lever

2 :to get at with great difficulty

I couldn't pry the secret out of him.

pry

verb

Definition of pry for Students

pried; prying

:to be nosy about something I don't mean to pry, but who is that girl I saw you with?

Learn More about pry

See words that rhyme with pry Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pry Spanish Central: Translation of pry Nglish: Translation of pry for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of pry for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up pry? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

pry

Definition of pry

Read the Latest from M-W

Recent Examples of pry from the Web

Origin and Etymology of pry

pry

Definition of pry

Recent Examples of pry from the Web

Origin and Etymology of pry

pry

Definition of pry

Recent Examples of pry from the Web

First Known Use of pry

PRY Defined for Kids

pry

Definition of pry for Students

pry

Definition of pry for Students

Learn More about pry

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Learned Fools: On Names for Students

Trending: NY Times: Trump's Call Ignites 'Imbroglio'

The Exceptions Quiz III

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Words of the Year: 1066