noun / verb
crowbar
KROH-bar/ˈkrəʊbɑːr/
A heavy metal lever for prying, or forcing something as if using one.
She uses a crowbar to pry open the wooden crate.
Etymology
Crow already named this prying tool before bar was added. It may evoke a bird’s beak or foot, though an alternative explanation connects it with an Old French word for “hook.”
In context
we use the Crowbar to remove the two stop blocks in the back
More examples
- A short crowbar fits easily inside the toolbox.
- We crowbarred the stuck lid off the box.
- He tries to crowbar a joke into every conversation.
Forms
crowbar · crowbars · crowbarred · crowbarring