1
as in to pull
to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever
it took some effort to pry up the trap door
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to yank
to draw out by force or with effort
a vain attempt to pry the cork out of a wine bottle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to interfere
to interest oneself in what is not one's concern
don't go prying into other people's business
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pry
Verb
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When Evans scored a short-handed goal off the rush, Ruff pulled Lyon for Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
17 May 2026 -
Junior Aimee Colson led the Raiders in sacksand total flag pulls this season while senior RonNeisha Thomas led in interceptions.—
Alex Kushel,
Sun Sentinel,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Once, Denise yanked an earring out of Djena’s left ear, tearing the lobe.—
Yudhijit Bhattacharjee,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
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That infuriatingly catchy Kars4Kids donation jingle got yanked off the air in California.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Police said one man interfered as officers tried to assist the victim and refused to back away, ignoring multiple warnings.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
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Now, sheriff's detectives accuse Cloobeck of trying to interfere in their case against Ventura in the Malibu, Lost Hills area.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
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As captain, Poulin got the 35-pound Walter Cup first, lifting it over her head as confetti exploded around her.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
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But what if the embargo gets lifted tomorrow?—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
20 May 2026
Verb
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It can be copied, replayed, leaked, modeled or eventually extracted.—
Pravir Malik,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
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Recommended Stories That’s assuming there’s actually enough of it accessible on the moon to be profitably extracted.—
Robin George Andrews,
Scientific American,
14 May 2026
Verb
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Spikes of speedwell look lovely poking up along the edges of paths and garden beds in summer.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
19 May 2026
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Some birds also will poke holes in the ground looking for tasty critters.—
Joan Morris,
Mercury News,
18 May 2026
Verb
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There’s no foraging, no organic garden to pluck basil and chili peppers from, no local butchery next door…and if there isn’t enough food flown in to account for multi-day weather delays?—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 May 2026
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The aftermath of one of Otto’s decisions gives Beever as Léna some rich material to work through, but strands Machado-Graner to an extent, including in a short subplot that feels like it was plucked from an entirely different screenplay.—
Josh Slater-Williams,
IndieWire,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Kurt's key takeaways Silent voicemails are designed to mess with your instincts.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 May 2026
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LeBron James loves messing with that nemesis named Father Time.—
Candace Buckner,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Pry.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pry. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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