pry

/praɪ/
noun
  1. A person who is overly curious about the private affairs of others.
    • Don't be a pry — give them some privacy.
    • The old man was known as the village pry, always asking questions.
    • Our neighbor is such a pry; she always watches us through the curtains.
  2. A tool used for prying, such as a crowbar or lever.
    • A sturdy pry is essential for any demolition work.
    • He grabbed a pry from the toolbox to open the wooden crate.
    • The mechanic used a pry to separate the two metal parts.
verb
  1. To inquire too curiously or impertinently into private matters.
    • She didn't mean to pry, but she couldn't help asking about his new job.
    • It's rude to pry into other people's personal lives.
    • The reporter tried to pry into the celebrity's family secrets.
  2. To raise, move, or force open with a lever or similar tool.
    • She pried the stuck window open with a screwdriver.
    • The firefighters had to pry the door open to rescue the cat.
    • He used a crowbar to pry the lid off the crate.
  3. To obtain or extract with difficulty or effort.
    • They pried the information from the locked computer.
    • It took hours to pry the secret from her little brother.
    • The detective pried the truth out of the reluctant witness.
What does "pry" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean