pried 1 of 2

past tense of pry
1
as in pulled
to raise, move, or pull apart with or as if with a lever it took some effort to pry up the trap door

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2

pried

2 of 2

verb (2)

past tense of pry

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pried
Verb
Across six Premier League seasons in the 1990s, Newcastle pried 12 different players from poorer sides, more than anyone else in that period. Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026 Security video of the early April 9 morning burglary shows three men entered the business through a broken window, smashed the machines with sledge hammers and pried out the boxes while a fourth man acted as lookout, the report said. Dennis Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 Poole is a top-100 prospect from the Peach State and what makes his commitment to FSU even more impressive is the fact that the Noles pried him away from the home-state Georgia Bulldogs. Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2026 Once inside, the suspects smashed video poker machines with a sledgehammer and pried open an ATM, but did not leave with any money. Elyssa Kaufman, CBS News, 30 July 2026 After the Navy shipped out, hurricane-force Aleutian winds pried homes apart. Kyle Hopkins, ProPublica, 20 July 2026 My sternum was fractured, my rib cage pried open. Will MacKin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026 Lonnie has plenty stacked against him, not least of all his own son, who is inching closer to surpassing his status in the golf world — people are even starting to call him the Hawk, a torch that had to have been pried out of his father’s hand. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 25 June 2026 Last year, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that thieves had pried off a bronze plaque dedicating the building to the history of philadelphia from its main entrance. Christopher Hooks, Harpers Magazine, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pried
Verb
  • Yazmeen Ryan's second-half goal pulled the Summit (6-7-6) into a draw in San Diego.
    ABC News, ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Sometimes he can get pulled a little bit too far towards his near post with wide shots and open up space towards the back post.
    Matt Pyzdrowski, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In Berkeley, where California clay culture yanked ceramics out of the category of polite craft and into something huge, physical, ugly, and beautiful, Heilmann learned to weld.
    Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 18 Aug. 2026
  • Lucas Erceg was picked to close but was yanked for Steven Cruz after loading the bases with no outs in 14 pitches.
    PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Charlotte Flair and Chelsea Green both qualified on television, Green over Kiana James and Flair over Nia Jax by disqualification after Jade Cargill interfered.
    Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
  • One area where the government interfered rather aggressively in the economy concerned the rates and tariffs the railroads charged.
    Steve H. Hanke, Fortune, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Tromso, the northernmost football club in the world to win a major national trophy, having lifted the Norwegian Cup in 1986 and 1996, are tricky opponents.
    Andy Naylor, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • WorldView-3 lifted off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and has been orbiting Earth ever since.
    Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Some experts argue for keeping the status quo, saying a ban on selling fossils would mean that important specimens would remain undiscovered or be illegally extracted and sold on the black market.
    Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • After carefully selecting specimens with reliable dates and locations, the team extracted DNA using techniques designed for highly degraded historical samples.
    Melissa Cristina Márquez, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • In the 2024 playoffs, Carrington poked Fever phenom Caitlin Clark in the eye.
    Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.
    Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Green Lantern has long been prized by fanboy screenwriters, but a hard needle to thread.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2026
  • San Marino developed as an estate community and is still prized for its large lots and architectural variety of stately homes.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 13 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Doubs plucked the ball over Gonzalez, who had successfully backed him near the boundary but couldn’t box out the 6-foot-2 receiver entirely.
    Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 10 Aug. 2026
  • The bass player plucked each of his instrument’s four strings, one at a time, while turning the corresponding tuning pegs.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Pried.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pried. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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