prise

/praɪz/
noun
  1. A tool used for levering or prying things open.
    • She used a small prise to lift the floorboard.
    • The old lock was so rusty that only a strong prise could break it.
    • He kept a metal prise in his toolbox for stubborn nails.
verb
  1. To use force to move or open something, especially by inserting a tool and applying leverage.
    • The firefighters had to prise the door open to rescue the cat.
    • He used a crowbar to prise the lid off the crate.
    • She carefully prised the jammed window open with a screwdriver.
  2. To obtain or extract something with difficulty or effort.
    • It took hours of negotiation to prise a promise from the committee.
    • She managed to prise the last ticket from the seller just before the show.
    • The journalist tried to prise the truth out of the reluctant witness.