pry
PRY
/praɪ/
To inquire too closely into a person's private affairs; to look closely or inquisitively.
Carries a negative connotation of being nosy, meddlesome, and disrespectful of personal boundaries.
The story behind the word. In Middle English, 'prien' meant to peer or look closely, often through a small opening. Over time, the physical act of squinting through a keyhole evolved into the metaphorical act of asking intrusive questions to uncover someone's secrets. It is distinct from the tool 'pry bar' (which comes from 'prize' meaning to leverage).
Word relationships
- snoop: Snoop often involves physically searching through someone's things, while pry can be purely verbal questioning or peering.
- meddle: Meddle means to interfere actively in someone's business, whereas pry is specifically about looking or asking to gain private information.
- mind one's own business: To ignore other people's private affairs.
Commonly confused with
- peer: To peer is simply to look closely (often because of poor visibility), while to pry is to look or ask with intrusive curiosity.
Word family
- prying (adjective): Excessively interested in a person's private affairs.
Collocations
- pry into secrets
- don't mean to pry
- prying eyes
Idioms & expressions
- pry open
- prying eyes
Example sentences
- "I don't mean to pry, but are you and your partner still planning to move abroad?" A polite refusal to answer a personal question.
- "She was known to pry into her neighbors' lives by watching them through binoculars." A nosy neighbor watching through the window.
Memory hook
Think of using a 'pry' bar to force open a locked diary of secrets. Prying open a locked diary.
When not to use
Do not use for professional, welcome, or official investigations.
Fun facts
- The phrase 'prying eyes' is one of the most common cliches in mystery novels, representing the constant threat of being watched.
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