What does pry mean?
Pry is most often an informal verb meaning to look into or examine something in a nosy way, especially when trying to discover private information. Its use to mean investigating someone's affairs is closely associated with intrusive curiosity and can sound disapproving. Pry also has a quite different physical sense: to lever, lift, or pull something open or loose, as when someone uses a tool to pry off a lid. The two meanings are related in ordinary usage only loosely, but both involve looking closely or applying effort to something that does not yield easily. In formal writing, investigate or examine often conveys the first sense more neutrally, while lever or prise may be preferable for the second. The noun is uncommon, but it can denote either an act of prying or a tool used for levering.
To look into or examine something in a curious or intrusive way; to force or lever something open or loose.
"She tried not to pry, but the locked drawer was difficult to ignore."
The sense of examining other people's affairs is informal and usually implies unwanted curiosity.
An act of prying or a lever-like tool used to open or move something.
"The mechanic slipped a pry beneath the crate."
The noun is uncommon, especially outside the tool sense.
The plural is uncommon and normally refers to instances of prying or to pry tools.
"The old tool drawer contained several pries of different sizes."
Curiosity can open doors, but pry can also mean opening them with a lever.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of pry
The word is recorded in Middle English as pri or prie, originally meaning to search or inquire, and its ultimate origin is uncertain. Over time it developed meanings involving close or nosy looking and, by the nineteenth century, using a tool or force to lever something open. The modern expression "pry into" reflects the earlier sense of searching into a matter.
Related word forms
How pry is actually used
The curiosity-related sense is informal and generally carries a negative connotation of intrusive interest or meddling. The physical sense of levering something open is neutral and is used in both everyday and technical contexts.
Easily confused with pry
Pry means to examine intrusively or lever something open, whereas a prize is something awarded or won.
Pry means to investigate nosily or force something open, whereas pray means to address a divine being or make a solemn request.