pry

pry — verb

1. to take an unwanted interest in private details about another person's life or r

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to take an unwanted interest in private details about another person's life or relationships

Example

Adina didn't mean to pry, but she overheard her neighbour arguing loudly on the phone.

pry (without object, implying 'into someone's affairs')

Noor got upset when her coworker kept prying into her personal finances.

pry into + personal / private matters

Common collocations
  • pry into someone's affairs
  • pry into private matters
  • pry into someone's life
  • stop prying
  • meant no pry
Synonyms
  • snoop

    implies physically looking through someone's things, while 'pry' covers asking questions too

  • meddle

    focuses on interfering in someone's affairs rather than just finding out information

  • nose around

    informal; suggests moving around a place looking for secrets

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

pry into + noun phrase

pry (without object)

be prying + into + noun phrase

Usage Note

Often used with 'into' followed by a noun phrase that names the private matter. Common in the progressive aspect ('You're prying!'). This sense is always negative — it implies the person asking has no right to know.

Common Mistakes

She pried his secret.
She pried into his secret.
'pry' in this sense is intransitive and needs 'into' before the object.

2. to force something to move, rise, or become open by pushing hard with a tool or

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to force something to move, rise, or become open by pushing hard with a tool or your hands

Example

Ramón used a screwdriver to pry the lid off the paint can.

pry + object + off

Wei pried the old floorboards up with a crowbar before installing new tiles.

pry + object + up

Common collocations
  • pry open a lid
  • pry off a cover
  • pry up floorboards
  • pry out a nail
  • pry something from its position
Synonyms
  • lever

    slightly more formal; can be used both as verb and noun

  • prize

    British spelling variant of this sense of 'pry'

  • force open

    emphasises the effort rather than the tool used

Antonyms
  • seal

    to close or fasten something firmly

  • fasten

    to close or attach securely

Grammar Patterns

pry + object + open

pry + object + off

pry + object + up

pry + object + out of + noun phrase

pry + object + from + noun phrase

Usage Note

The object is always something fixed or stuck that resists movement. Direction words (open, off, up, out) are required to show the result of the force. This sense is occasionally spelled 'prize' in British English.

Common Mistakes

He pried the lid.
He pried the lid off.
Add a direction word (off, open, up) to show the result of the force.
Phrasal verbs

pry into

phrasal verb

to try to find out details about someone's private life or personal matters without being welcome

Yasmin wished her relatives would stop prying into her career plans.

Xiu never asks about salary because she does not like prying into others' business.

pry — noun

Word family

  • prying
    adjectiveB2
  • pryingly
    adverbC1
  • pryer
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four words describe unwanted attention to others' private matters, but they differ in method and focus. 'Pry' (verb sense 1) is the broadest — it covers both asking intrusive questions and looking where you should not, as in 'prying into a colleague's email.' 'Snoop' emphasises physically searching through someone's belongings or spaces, like looking through drawers or files. 'Meddle' shifts the focus from finding out to interfering: a meddler does not just gather information but gets involved in other people's decisions. 'Nose around' is the most informal and suggests moving about a place in a nosy, searching manner. For example, a journalist might pry into a politician's past, a cleaner might snoop through a desk, a relative might meddle in wedding plans, and a curious neighbour might nose around the garden shed.

snoopmeddlenose around

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • pry into someone's business
  • pry open a lid
  • pry off a cover
  • pry something from something

Prepositions

Etymology

Middle EnglishOld FrenchEnglish

The two main meanings of 'pry' come from different historical roots. The 'snooping' meaning (verb sense 1) comes from Middle English 'prien,' meaning to peer closely or look inquisitively, probably related to Old English 'be-prīwan' (to wink at). The 'levering' meaning (verb sense 2 and both noun senses) comes from the verb 'prise,' borrowed from Old French 'prise' meaning a hold or grasp — the same root that gives us 'prize' in the sense of 'to value.' In British English, the levering sense is still commonly spelled 'prise.'