Pronunciation: /praɪɪŋ/

Definitions of prying

verb to inquire too closely into a person's private affairs

Example Sentences

A1 She was prying into her neighbor's business.

A2 The detective was prying for information about the case.

B1 The journalist was prying into the politician's personal life.

B2 The hacker was prying into the company's confidential files.

C1 The investigator was prying into the corruption scandal.

C2 The spy was caught prying into classified government documents.

adjective inquisitive or nosy

Example Sentences

A1 She felt uncomfortable with his prying questions.

A2 The prying neighbor always peeked through the curtains.

B1 The detective's prying eyes noticed the small details others missed.

B2 I don't appreciate your prying into my personal life.

C1 Her prying nature often led to uncovering secrets others wanted to keep hidden.

C2 The journalist's prying investigation revealed corruption at the highest levels of government.

Examples of prying in a Sentence

formal The investigator was accused of prying into the personal lives of the suspects.

informal Stop prying into my business, it's none of your concern.

slang She's always prying for gossip, it's so annoying.

figurative The journalist's prying questions uncovered the truth behind the scandal.

Grammatical Forms of prying

past tense

pried

plural

pryings

comparative

more prying

superlative

most prying

present tense

pry

future tense

will pry

perfect tense

have pried

continuous tense

is prying

singular

prying

positive degree

pry

infinitive

to pry

gerund

prying

participle

prying

Origin and Evolution of prying

First Known Use: 1250 year
Language of Origin: Old French
Story behind the word: The word 'prying' originated from the Old French word 'prier' meaning to inquire or interrogate.
Evolution of the word: Over time, the word 'prying' has evolved to also imply intrusiveness or nosiness, in addition to its original meaning of inquiring or interrogating.