prise
/prʌɪz
/(US prize)
verb [with object and adverbial of direction]
1Use force in order to move, move apart, or open (something): I tried to prise Joe’s fingers away from the stick...
- Last year there were 10 break-outs and 33 unsuccessful escape attempts, each involving detainees prising open windows under cover of darkness.
- Gingerly prising the door open half-expecting a private party or aftermath of a wedding reception, we were pleasantly surprised to be ushered in and offered drinks.
- Eventually when it was prised open, I found some yellowed and brittle sheets of paper, most of them hand-written, but illegible now.
Synonyms
lever, force, wrench, pull, wrest, twist;
jemmy;
North American pry, jimmy
1.1 (prise something out of/from) Obtain something from (someone) with effort or difficulty: I got the loan, though I had to prise it out of him...
- By dint of not mentioning snow, I gently prised the story out of him, learning that he'd fumbled the first deal and lost two or three months in the process.
- So I said ‘What if I prise a contract out of him for the winter as well and we all move out there?’
- The Australian Cricket Board, to their eternal shame, secretly fined the players then covered it up until the papers prised the story out of them.
Synonyms
extract/obtain with difficulty, worm out;
British winkle out
Origin
Late 17th century: from dialect prise 'lever', from Old French prise 'grasp, taking hold'. Compare with pry2.