How to Use pry in a Sentence

pry

noun
  • The pry bar is hidden within the core of the tool.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
  • Fresh pry marks were found on the outside of the window, and the lock was bent.
    — Sun-Sentinel.com, 6 Feb. 2018
  • Pry marks were found on a door at a home; no one entered, and nothing was stolen.
    — Washington Post, 10 May 2017
  • The latter also acts as a pry bar for opening cans in a pinch.
    — New Atlas, 10 Mar. 2026
  • The damage appears to have been caused by a pry bar type object.
    — Houston Chronicle, 2 Jan. 2018
  • Tante Malkeh pries open the girl’s mouth, and, her old eyes lighted up in their sunken depths.
    — Abigail Deutsch, Harper's magazine, 22 July 2019
  • The lanyard hole doubles as a pry bar and bottle opener.
    — New Atlas, 27 Oct. 2025
  • If necessary, slip a pry bar between the last row and baseboard.
    — Joesph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 8 Dec. 2019
  • Harvest those carefully using a strong knife or small pry bar.
    — Wes Siler, Outside Online, 9 Mar. 2021
  • Then, with a small pry bar, push the two remaining pieces up from the fasteners.
    — Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2023
  • The employee then struck the smaller dog with the plastic handle of the pry bar.
    — Howard Cohen, miamiherald, 22 Feb. 2018
  • An officer observed pry marks on the east entry door of the building.
    — Jesse Wright, chicagotribune.com, 13 Apr. 2018
  • Two technicians in red hard hats on top of a lift tower muscled it back into place with pry bars.
    — Gregory Thomas, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Nov. 2021
  • The master bedroom had also been ransacked and pry marks were found on the sliding glass door at the rear of the home.
    — chicagotribune.com, 28 Oct. 2019
  • Officers arrived and found what appeared to be a pry mark on the back door of the residence.
    — oregonlive.com, 17 July 2019
  • Then use a pry bar to pull off any interior or exterior trim.
    — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2021
  • The tool also includes a detachable blade holder that can replace the pry bar.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
  • The door had pry marks, and the roof and equipment also were damaged, according to the report.
    — Jennifer James Correspondent, Houston Chronicle, 6 Sep. 2019
  • Banks told police that someone had fired a gun during the fight and that his pregnant sister had been hit with sticks and a pry bar.
    — Vic Ryckaert, Indianapolis Star, 17 Apr. 2018
  • Loosening one bolt and switching between the pry bar and blade or installing a new sharp blade takes under a minute.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
  • There’s also a butt-end pry bar and a notch on the spine of the blade for hooking cordage or scoring materials.
    — Justin Park, Popular Mechanics, 7 July 2023
  • Three customers intervened and Dockery left with the pry bar in tow, police said.
    — Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, OregonLive.com, 18 Jan. 2018
  • Alongside the cylinder are two fold-out tools, one of which serves quadruple duty as a pry bar, nail puller, saw, and box opener.
    — New Atlas, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Once the main roots have been severed, use the hoe end of the mattock and the shovel to loosen the soil and rock/pry/lift the stump out of the ground.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 1 Mar. 2026
  • Officers found pry marks and scratches on the front doors of a 1999 Ford there.
    — Irv Leavitt, chicagotribune.com, 26 June 2017
  • Three policemen crouched behind a low concrete wall with several small holes that had been made with a pry bar and a mallet.
    — Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2017
  • Pry marks were on some of those vehicles, consistent with the size of the pry bar recovered, the complaint said.
    — Karen Pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 19 July 2019
  • Each has involved a person using a pry tool to enter businesses during overnight hours.
    — Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Our winter has been characterized by a number of freeze-and-thaw cycles that have acted like a pry bar on the cracks in our streets.
    — Robert King, Indianapolis Star, 1 Mar. 2018
  • In terms of tools and gear, the kit features one for gas and water shutoff, a combo flashlight radio, a utility knife, and a pry bar.
    — Rachel Klein, Popular Mechanics, 2 June 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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