prise

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "prise" is not correct in standard written English; it should be "prize" if referring to an award or something won.
You can use "prize" when discussing awards, competitions, or something of value that is won or achieved. Example: "She won the first prize in the art competition for her stunning painting."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

The Economist - Travel

The Guardian - Sport

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Those wishing to prise the coveted guestbook from the hotel's grasp will have to make do with trying to decipher the autographs scrawled on the piano which sits in the 24-hour private bar.

The Guardian - Travel

Tottenham Hotspur had also hoped to prise Mata from Stamford Bridge, though their manager Andre Villas-Boas — who was in charge at Chelsea when the Spaniard was signed in 2011 — has admitted any enquiry would have been given short shrift by their London rivals.

The Guardian - Sport

It's cruel, but effective: only the high court could eventually prise out the basic factual detail of what's happening.

The Guardian - Opinion

But colleagues wonder whether he has the single-mindedness, still less the ruthlessness, to prise power from one of Asia's toughest leaders.

The Economist

It has its party machines, but groups that organise hard can use the primaries to prise them open.

The Economist

A notorious steel works, one of the previous governor's legacies, cost $9m and is still not operating.Yet Mr Ramazanzadeh boasts that he has used his influence over the president to prise from next year's national budget an extra $18m one-and-a-half 18m one-and-a-half 18m one-and-a-half 18m one-and-a-halfdfall for, among otimesthings, attracting private investment.

The Economist

It took death to prise them from him.

The Economist

Rebellious tribes such as the Tuareg, whose desire for autonomy the jihadists have exploited, may never be entirely pacified.Diplomacy must thus be applied in an effort to prise the Tuareg away from their alliance with the jihadists.

The Economist

They are trapped young sometimes hunters shoot a mother to prise the young one from her.

The Economist

AFTER 15 years of trying, the effort to prise North Korea out of the bomb-making business has just got encouragingly technical.

The Economist

Elba Esther Gordillo, the union's Chanel-clad leader, has used the votes of her 1.4m members to block reforms.Mr Peña proposes to prise some power from her manicured fists.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When intending to convey the meaning of 'to force open', double-check if "pry open", "lever open", or "force open" might be more appropriate and clearer alternatives to "prise".

Common error

Avoid using "prise" when you actually mean "prize", which refers to an award or something of value won in a competition or achieved through effort.

Linguistic Context

The word "prise" functions primarily as a transitive verb, indicating the action of forcing something open or apart using leverage. As Ludwig AI shows, the word "prise" is not correct and it should be "prize" when referring to an award.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Formal & Business

15%

Science

10%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The word "prise" is primarily used as a verb meaning to force something open or apart, it often appears in news and media contexts. Despite its usage, Ludwig AI identifies that "prise" is often incorrectly used in place of "prize". When aiming for clarity and correctness, alternatives like "pry open", "lever open", or "force open" might serve better. The term appears frequently in authoritative sources such as The Economist and The Guardian. Despite this apparent frequency, be cautious and use the correct spelling of "prize" if you are going to use this to refer to something awarded.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

pry open

Focuses specifically on the action of forcing something open, similar to the primary definition of "prise".

prise loose

Specifically targets the action of loosening something that is firmly attached.

lever open

Emphasizes the use of leverage as the method for opening something, which is a common way to "prise" something.

force open

Highlights the use of force to open something, conveying a similar meaning to "prise".

wrest free

Implies a struggle to detach or remove something, similar to the effort involved in "prising" something loose.

extract

Focuses on removing something with care or precision, applicable in contexts where "prising" something out might damage it.

separate

Emphasizes the action of disconnecting or detaching something, similar to the effect of "prising" something apart.

obtain by effort

Replaces the action with an emphasis on achieving by applying big effort.

winkle out

To get something from someone/something when they don't want to give it.

snatch

Focuses on the taking of an object when the opportunity occurs.

FAQs

How to use "prise" correctly in a sentence?

The word "prise" means to force (open) with a lever or to pry something. An example is: "They tried to "pry open" the door with a crowbar".

What's the difference between "prise" and "prize"?

"Prise" means to force something open, while "prize" refers to an award or something valued. The word "prise" is often mistaken for "award".

What can I say instead of "prise" when referring to obtaining something?

If you mean to obtain something through effort, consider using alternatives like "extract", "wrest free", or "snatch" depending on the context.

Is "prise" commonly used in modern English?

While "prise" has a specific meaning related to forcing something open, it's less frequently used than its alternatives like "pry open" or "force open", and is often confused with "prize".