PRIES Synonyms: 74 Similar and Opposite Words

pries 1 of 2

verb (1)

present tense third-person singular of pry

as in pulls

to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever it took some effort to pry up the trap door

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in plucks

to draw out by force or with effort a vain attempt to pry the cork out of a wine bottle

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pries

2 of 2

verb (2)

present tense third-person singular of pry

as in interferes

to interest oneself in what is not one's concern don't go prying into other people's business

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of pries

Verb

There are swooping close encounters with heavenly bodies, Lego blocks in antigravity mode and swarms of Separators, a sort of astro-anthropomorphic version of the tool that pries apart Lego bricks in real life. — Dewayne Bevil, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Feb. 2026 The show’s biggest laugh may come when Testa pries open Costanzo’s mouth and pronounces just how many performances of Norma Galas has left. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Sep. 2025 Could this be the year Johannesburg pries visitors away from Cape Town with a cool new city hotel and a dynamic dining scene, or when sunseekers take another look at Mauritius instead of the Maldives? — Cnt Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Nov. 2023

Recent Examples of Synonyms for pries

Verb

Williams pulls even with Steffi Graf for the most major championships in the Open era, which began in 1968.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
That pulls an internal audit into architecture decisions far earlier than anyone is used to.

— Rahul Bhatia, Forbes.com, 8 July 2026

Definition of pulls

Verb

His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.

— Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
But the emotional gravity of this offering's deeply personal, melancholic lyrical content plucks an undeniably profound chord that uniquely separates it from the rest of his work.

— Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026

Definition of plucks

Verb

Here’s when to watch and how to catch the best views before bright moonlight interferes.

— Julia Gomez, USA Today, 1 July 2026
If Damascus interferes in Lebanon, sectarian violence could follow, as the Syrian military presence would likely be interpreted as direct opposition to Hezbollah’s Shiite fighters.

— Mireille Rebeiz, The Conversation, 18 June 2026

Definition of interferes

Verb

Stand at the boat ramp below the hillside at first light, and the steam lifts off the current in slow curtains while birds cut silhouettes through a sky that has no business being that beautiful.

— Condé Nast Traveler, Condé Nast Traveler, 14 July 2026
The marketing style resonates equality across age groups and lifts purchase intent.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 13 July 2026

Definition of lifts

Verb

So instead of getting magnesium that has been smelted via the Pidgeon process, Lola extracts the stuff from seawater via electrolysis, powered by solar.

— Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 7 July 2026
Those contracts call for Next Hydrogen to design and deliver an electrolyzer that extracts tritium from heavy water, a critical process for preparing fuel used in future fusion reactors.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026

Definition of extracts

Verb

Like a false note on an out-of-tune piano, a clunky verb, a sentence without rhythm, yanks the reader out the flow of the work.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 May 2026
Maden takes thee wine bottle from him and the officers reach for his wrists but Brown resists and yanks his arms back, the video shows.

— Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 19 Apr. 2026

Definition of yanks

Verb

Ships, like airplanes, are designed with fluid dynamics in mind, and biofoul seriously messes that up.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
From pet hair to crumbs, this Shark handheld cordless vacuum cleaner can tackle messes large and small, thanks to strong suction and a self-cleaning brush that resists pet hair accumulation.

— BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 27 May 2026

Definition of messes

Browse Nearby Words

priers

pries

priest

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Pries.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pries. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of pries

verb (1)

verb (2)

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on pries

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

loquacious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes