Meaning & use
to pry
Last updated
Meanings
verbintransitivedisapproving
To try to find out about someone's private life in a way that is too curious or annoying.
Grammar: Often followed by 'into': She pried into his past.
Patterns
- pry into something
- pry into someone's affairs
The neighbors always pry into our business, asking where we go and who visits.
I don't want to pry, but are you feeling okay?
Reporters pried into the actor's personal life for weeks.
verbtransitive
To force something open or away from a surface, often with a tool.
Grammar: Takes an object: pry the lid open. Often used with 'open' or 'off'.
Patterns
- pry something open
- pry something off
- pry something from something
He used a screwdriver to pry the lid off the paint can.
She pried the window open with a knife.
The child tried to pry the toy from his brother's hands.
Word forms
| third person singular | pries |
|---|---|
| past tense | pried |
| past participle | pried |
| -ing form | prying |
Common combinations
- pry into
- She always pries into other people's problems.
- pry open
- The thief pried open the door with a crowbar.
- pry off
- He pried off the cap with his fingers.
- pry from
- I couldn't pry the secret from her.
Synonyms and how they differ
- snoop
- Snoop is more informal and often suggests looking around secretly, while pry can also mean physically forcing something open.
- meddle
- Meddle means to interfere in something that is not your business, focusing on actions rather than just asking questions.
- intrude
- Intrude means to go into a place or situation where you are not welcome, often without asking; pry focuses on trying to get private information.
Opposites
Word family
- prying adjective
- Too interested in other people's private lives; nosy.
Commonly confused: to pry or prise?
to pry vs prise
Prise (British spelling) means the same as pry in the sense of forcing something open, but it is not used for being nosy.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'pry' correctly to mean 'to force something open'?
Choose one answer.
The correct answer is 'He pried the box open with a knife,' because 'pry' meaning 'force open' takes a direct object and is often followed by 'open'. Option A uses 'pry into' for being nosy, which is a different sense. Option C is not a natural phrase. Option D uses 'pried to,' which is not correct grammar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to pry”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.