verb

pry

preye

verb

To inquire into someone else's private affairs in a nosy or unwelcome way.

"I don't mean to pry, but is everything okay at home?"

"She hated the way her coworkers pried into her personal life."

To force something open or lever it apart using a tool.

"He used a screwdriver to pry the lid off the paint can."

noun

A tool used for levering something open, such as a crowbar.

"He grabbed a pry bar from the toolbox to open the crate."

How to Use Pry

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo nosily ask about someone's private business, or to lever something open by force.

Common pairings

pry into pry open pry bar

pried past tense, pried past tense, pries plural, pries plural, Prys plural, pries singular, pries singular

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I don't mean to _____, but is everything okay at home?

From Middle English prien, "to peer closely," of uncertain further origin.

spry opry