pry bar
3
4.8
- noun
- /praɪ bɑr/
- US
:
palanca
- "Jimmied the hinge side of the door frame with a pry bar."
- using a pry bar
- pry bar to remove
- flat pry bar
Examples
-
Somebody had used a pry bar on the door.
Fiction book (2001) -
I have kept scissors in my car for years and have added a 12-inch pry bar in the last year.
Blog text (27) -
-See if we got a pry bar in the car.
-
All you have to do is find a pry bar.
-
- Get up here with that pry bar.
-
We can then remove them with a simple pry bar.
Blog text (17) -
But he edges over to the truck and takes out a heavy steel pry bar to keep within easy reach.
Fiction book (1990) -
I can work with pliers or a pry bar.
Fiction book (1991) -
That's it, Altivo, find the pry bar.
-
To remove old siding, drive a pry bar under the siding at each nail.
Synonyms
416
1.0
A long solid piece of metal used for support or play
45
2.9
A heavy metal bar with a curved end used to force things open and pull out nails
4
8.4
A long metal bar with a flat end used to lift or move heavy things
1
6.5
A long strong iron bar with a flat or forked end that you use to force things apart
1
7.4
A long strong metal tool with a pointed end used to lift heavy things
A long heavy metal tool with a flat chisel end for prying and a curved claw end for pulling nails
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'pry bar' is a straightforward compositional compound: it names a rigid 'bar' used for 'prying' (applying force to open or move things). This literal combination follows common noun+verb-to-noun conversion patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so a B1 learner who knows 'pry' and 'bar' can reliably infer the meaning.
Etymology
Pry bar gets its name from what the tool does: pry means to force something open and a bar is a strong metal rod. People used the rod to lift things, pull out nails, or open stuck things, so the name tells us it is for 'forcing things apart' and 'removing nails'.