pry
/praɪ/ (bre, ipa) · /praɪ/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈprī/ (ame, mw)
pry — verb
- prypresent simple I / you / we / they
- prieshe / she / it
- priedpast simple
- prying-ing form
1. to take an unwanted interest in private details about another person's life or r
to take an unwanted interest in private details about another person's life or relationships
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
The journalist was criticized for prying into the actor's family life.
Ari told his nosy neighbour to stop prying into his mail and packages.
Meera felt uncomfortable when her cousin pried into her relationship with her boyfriend at dinner.
- 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
文法句型
pry into + noun phrase
pry (without object)
be prying + into + noun phrase
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
2. to force something to move, rise, or become open by pushing hard with a tool or
to force something to move, rise, or become open by pushing hard with a tool or your hands
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
The firefighters pried the car door open to free the trapped driver.
Eliska carefully pried the bent nails out of the wooden frame.
Felix pried the heavy stone slab from its position in the garden wall.
- 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
文法句型
pry + object + open
pry + object + off
pry + object + up
pry + object + out of + noun phrase
pry + object + from + noun phrase
用法筆記
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.
常見錯誤
pry — noun
1. a heavy metal tool with a curved, flattened end, used to lift or separate object
a heavy metal tool with a curved, flattened end, used to lift or separate objects by applying force
Joshua grabbed the pry bar from the toolbox and wedged it under the wooden crate.
pry bar: tool for prying objects apart
A sturdy pry bar is one of the most useful tools for any demolition job.
Adina used a small pry bar to lift the corner of the old carpet.
Mark slid the pry bar between the wall and the old shelf to loosen it.
- crowbar
larger and heavier than a typical pry bar
- wrecking bar
another name for a pry bar, common in US English
- lever
more general term for any bar used to apply force
用法筆記
Also called a 'crowbar' or 'wrecking bar'. A 'pry bar' is typically smaller than a crowbar and used for lighter work like removing nails or opening crates.
2. the mechanical advantage or force gained by using a lever; the ability to move s
the mechanical advantage or force gained by using a lever; the ability to move something by applying pressure at a distance from a fulcrum
The short handle gave him little pry when he tried to lift the heavy rock.
pry meaning mechanical advantage
Gabriel wedged the iron bar under the crate to get more pry on the load.
get more pry: noun meaning mechanical leverage
Noor adjusted the fulcrum to increase the pry and shift the concrete block.
Erik switched to a longer steel rod to gain more pry on the rusted bolt.
- leverage
far more common; 'pry' as a noun for leverage is very rare and mostly technical
- mechanical advantage
the technical term for the force multiplication gained through a lever
用法筆記
This is the rarest sense of 'pry'. In modern English, 'leverage' is far more common. This sense appears mainly in mechanical or engineering contexts.