pry

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To look or inquire closely, curiously, or impertinently: was always prying into the affairs of others.
2. n. The act of prying.
3. n. An excessively or impertinently inquisitive person.
4. v. To raise, move, or force open with a lever.
5. v. To obtain with effort or difficulty: pried a confession out of the suspect.
6. n. Something, such as a crowbar, that is used to apply leverage.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To look closely or with scrutinizing curiosity; hence, to search curiously or impertinently into any matter; peer; peep.
2. To observe; note.
3. n. A peeping glance; peering; curious or narrow inspection.
4. n. One who pries; a prier; an inquisitive, intrusive person (with allusion to Paul Pry, a fictitious name which, in its turn, was evidently suggested by this sense of the word).
5. n. A large lever employed to raise or move heavy substances; a prize.
6. To raise or move by means of a pry; prize; bring into a desired position or condition by means of a pry: as, to pry a box open.

Wiktionary

1. v. To look where one is not welcome; to be nosey.
2. v. To look closely and curiously at, peep
3. n. The act of prying
4. n. An excessively inquisitive person
5. n. A lever.
6. n. Leverage.
7. v. To use leverage to open or widen. (See also prise and prize.)

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. Local, U. S. & Eng. A lever; also, leverage.
2. v. Local, U. S. & Eng. To raise or move, or attempt to raise or move, with a pry or lever; to prize.
3. v. To peep narrowly; to gaze; to inspect closely; to attempt to discover something by a scrutinizing curiosity; -- often implying reproach.
4. n. Curious inspection; impertinent peeping.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
2. n. a heavy iron lever with one end forged into a wedge
3. v. make an uninvited or presumptuous inquiry
4. v. be nosey
5. v. search or inquire in a meddlesome way