Definitions for pry
praɪpry

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. crowbar, wrecking bar, pry, pry barverb

   a heavy iron lever with one end forged into a wedge

2. pry, prise, prize, lever, jimmyverb

   to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open

   "The burglar jimmied the lock": "Raccoons managed to pry the lid off the garbage pail"

3. pryverb

   be nosey

   "Don't pry into my personal matters!"

4. intrude, horn in, pry, nose, pokeverb

   search or inquire in a meddlesome way

   "This guy is always nosing around the office"

5. pry, priseverb

   make an uninvited or presumptuous inquiry

   "They pried the information out of him"

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Pryverb

   To peep narrowly; to inspect officiously, curiously, or impertinently.

   Etymology: of unknown derivation.

   I can counterfeit the deep tragedian,
   Speak, and look back, and pry on ev’ry side,
   Intending deep suspicion. William Shakespeare, Richard III.

   I pry’d me through the crevice of a wall,
   When for his hand he had his two sons heads. William Shakespeare.

   Watch thou, and wake when others be asleep,
   To pry into the secrets of the state. William Shakespeare.

   We of th’ offending side
   Must keep aloof from strict arbitrement;
   And stop all sight holes, every loop, from whence
   The eye of reason may pry in upon us. William Shakespeare.

   He that prieth in at her windows, shall also hearken at her doors. Ecclus. xiv. 23.

   And pry
   In every bush and brake, where hap may find
   The serpent sleeping. John Milton.

   We have naturally a curiosity to be prying and searching into forbidden secrets. Roger L'Estrange.

   Search well
   Each grove and thicket, pry in ev’ry shape,
   Lest hid in some th’ arch hypocrite escape. Dryden.

   I wak’d, and looking round the bow’r
   Search’d ev’ry tree, and pry’d on ev’ry flow’r,
   If any where by chance I might espy
   The rural poet of the melody. Dryden.

   Nor need we with a prying eye survey
   The distant skies, to find the milky way. Thomas Creech.

   Actions are of so mixt a nature, that as men pry into them, or observe some parts more than others, they take different hints, and put contrary interpretations on them. Addison.

   All these I frankly own without denying;
   But where has this Praxiteles been prying. Addison.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. pry

   Pry is a verb which generally refers to the act of inquiring too closely into someone's personal affairs, often in a nosy or intrusive manner. It can also refer to the act of using force in order to move or open something, usually through the use of a tool.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Prynoun

   a lever; also, leverage

2. Pryverb

   to raise or move, or attempt to raise or move, with a pry or lever; to prize

3. Pryverb

   to peep narrowly; to gaze; to inspect closely; to attempt to discover something by a scrutinizing curiosity; -- often implying reproach

4. Prynoun

   curious inspection; impertinent peeping

5. Etymology: [OE. prien. Cf. Peer to peep.]

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Pry

   prī, v.i. to peer or peep into that which is closed: to inspect closely: to try to discover with curiosity:—pa.t. and pa.p. pried.—n. (rare) a peeping glance: one who pries—cf. Paul Pry, in John Poole's (1792-1879) comedy so called, first produced in 1825.—ns. Prī′er, Pry′er.—p.adj. Pry′ing, looking closely into: inquisitive: curious.—adv. Pry′ingly. [M. E. prien=piren, to peer; cf. Peer.]

Editors ContributionRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. pry

   Pry (verb)is to become involve.

   Pry is to snoop to something that can be a great help for future status.

   
   

   Submitted by pinkss5 on September 27, 2015  

Suggested ResourcesRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PRY

   What does PRY stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the PRY acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census RecordsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. PRY

   According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Pry is ranked #19966 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
   
   The Pry surname appeared 1,343 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Pry.
   
   94.4% or 1,269 total occurrences were White.
   1.6% or 22 total occurrences were of two or more races.
   1.4% or 19 total occurrences were Black.
   1.1% or 16 total occurrences were Asian.

Matched Categories

1. • Ask

Anagrams for pry »

1. pyr

How to pronounce pry?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say pry in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of pry in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of pry in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of pry in a Sentence

1. Cody Orell:

   On Sunday she was going out to meet someone and wasn’t saying who. I didn’t pry into it then, but, of course, now I wish….

2. Harlen Ellison, interview with Charlie Rose:

   What is not nailed down is mine. Anything that I can pry loose was not nailed down.

3. Jerry Healy:

   You know all the years I knew Tommy, I never heard him mention a sister or a mother or a brother or a father, you could never pry anything from him.

4. Brad Anthony:

   You could never pry anything from him.

5. Cody Orell:

   On Sunday she was going out to meet someone and wasn’t saying who. I didn’t pry into it then, but. of course, now I wish….

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=pry
2. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=pry
3. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
4. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pry
5. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=pry
6. ^ Surnames Frequency by Census Records
   https://www.census.gov/topics/population/genealogy/data/2010_surnames.html