Pry

/praɪ/

Meaning & Definition

noun

An act of prying; an inquiry into someone's private affairs.

Her prys into my personal life made me uncomfortable.

verb

To inquire too closely into someone's private affairs.

I don't mean to pry, but I noticed you've been upset lately.

To force open or apart with something sharp or a tool.

He had to pry the lid off the can with a screwdriver.

Middle English 'prien', from Old English 'prygan'.

pry into

to investigate someone's private life or affairs

pry open

to force something open

keep your nose out of other people's business

to not interfere in someone else's affairs

snoop

to secretly look at someone else's information or belongings

inquisitive

having a strong desire to know or learn about things

nosy

having a tendency to pry into others' affairs

to be overly curious about someone's life

Stop being so nosy and let them have their privacy.

to investigate something informally or behind the scenes

I heard you were prying into Dave's past.