ply

¹ American  

[plahy] / plaɪ /

verb (used with object)

plied, plying

1. to work with or at diligently; employ busily; use.

   to ply the needle.

2. to carry on, practice, or pursue busily or steadily.

   to ply a trade.

   Synonyms:

   exercise, follow

3. to treat with or apply to (something) repeatedly (often followed bywith ).

   to ply a fire with fresh fuel.

4. to assail persistently.

   to ply horses with a whip.

5. to supply with or offer something pressingly to.

   to ply a person with drink.

6. to address (someone) persistently or urgently, as with questions, solicitations, etc.; importune.

7. to pass over or along (a river, stream, etc.) steadily or on a regular basis.

   boats that ply the Mississippi.

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verb (used without object)

plied, plying

1. to run or travel regularly over a fixed course or between certain places, as a boat, bus, etc.

2. to perform one's work or office busily or steadily.

   to ply with the oars; to ply at a trade.

ply ² American  

[plahy] / plaɪ /

noun

• plies
  plural

1. a thickness or layer.

2. Automotive. a layer of reinforcing fabric for a tire.

3. a unit of yarn.

   single ply.

4. one of the sheets of veneer that are glued together to make plywood.

5. Informal. plywood.

6. bent, bias, or inclination.

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verb (used with object)

plied, plying

1. British Dialect. to bend, fold, or mold.

verb (used without object)

plied, plying

1. Obsolete. to bend, incline, or yield.

ply ¹ British  

/ plaɪ /

verb

1. to carry on, pursue, or work at (a job, trade, etc)

2. to manipulate or wield (a tool)

3. to sell (goods, wares, etc), esp at a regular place

4. (usually foll by with) to provide (with) or subject (to) repeatedly or persistently

   he plied us with drink the whole evening

   to ply a horse with a whip

   he plied the speaker with questions

5. (intr) to perform or work steadily or diligently

   to ply with a spade

6. (also intr) (esp of a ship) to travel regularly along (a route) or in (an area)

   to ply between Dover and Calais

   to ply the trade routes

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ply ² British  

/ plaɪ /

noun

1. 1. a layer, fold, or thickness, as of cloth, wood, yarn, etc

   2. ( in combination )

      four-ply

2. a thin sheet of wood glued to other similar sheets to form plywood

3. one of the strands twisted together to make rope, yarn, etc

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verb

1. to twist together (two or more single strands) to make yarn

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• plyingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• plies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of ply¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English plien, shortened variant of ap(p)lien apply

Origin of ply²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb plien, pleie, plaie “to bend, fold, mold,” from Middle French plier, ployer “to fold, bend,” variant of ployer, Old French pleier, from Latin plicāre “to fold”; see origin at fold ¹

Explanation

Ply means to work steadily at something. If you've got a lemonade stand and you're busy perfecting your recipe and seeking out customers, you're doing a good job of plying your trade. A ship that regularly travels a particular route plies that route. When someone offers you food or drink, often in hopes of getting something in return, they're plying you: "If I ply you with cake, will you take my dog for a walk?" The noun ply is very different from the verb, referring to layers or strands. Four-ply yarn is made up of four strands. Plywood is made of many layers of wood glued together.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ply plies plied plying

Ships continue to ply the Strait of Hormuz, though in much lower volumes than in June and July, when a ceasefire prevailed for part of the two months.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Their squad arguably possesses less individual talent - only four of their 26 players currently ply their trade in one of Europe's top five leagues.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

The demand has given rise to a burgeoning gray market, where wellness spas, multilevel marketers and telehealth websites ply the public with vials of “research grade” peptides labeled “not for human use.”

From Salon ● Apr. 4, 2026

Ryunosuke “Ryui” Wada, an 18-year-old from Yokohama, Japan, has come to Pasadena, Calif., to ply his trade as a woodworker.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

If the capsule wasn’t strong enough to withstand the forces acting on it at max Q, it could sim ply explode.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Sheinbaum's interest in her art had "changed her life," the trained business administrator said in Oaxaca in southern Mexico, where she now plies her art.

From Barron's ● Jan. 2, 2026

One Colombian pilot who plies the Caribbean said crews look for any advantage, from sailing at night or in rough weather, even in storms when Colombian government patrol boats might stay in port.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 28, 2025

Of those who were introduced, Ewan Ashman is plagued by line-out throwing issues; Ewan Johnson plies his trade in France's second tier with Oyonnax; and Marshall Sykes is not a guaranteed starter for struggling Edinburgh.

From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2025

She plies a similar jovial egocentrism as a substitute teacher on “Abbott Elementary,” and both characters are insufferable to the adults in the room.

From Salon ● Feb. 9, 2024

A Kidderminster carpet calls for a small design in which the different planes, or plies, as they are called, are well interlocked.

From Arts and Crafts Essays by Members of the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society by Various

“I am hanging on to an academic career by my fingernails,” the 39-year-old wrote in May, as he plied his trade as a part-time postdoc at a public university in Belgium.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

At a nearby beach resort, a high-speed Coast Guard vessel plied the waters for two people still missing after swimming in waters that churned violently as the quake struck.

From Barron's ● Jun. 9, 2026

Next to them, Colbert plied his art slyly, even mildly, but regularly and in ways the nerdiest students of comedy could appreciate.

From Salon ● May 21, 2026

But Venegas’ parents were artists above all — photographers specifically, a trade now plied by Yvonne — and as such, romantics at heart and in practice.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 11, 2026

For years she had plied a humble trade between there and Sisterton.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

French striker Benzema has been plying his trade in Saudi Arabia since leaving Real Madrid in 2023, spending three years with Al Ittihad.

From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026

Owners of several vehicles plying the streets rejoiced with symbolic honks and screams, most of them either waving the flag or hanging samples by their car windows.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2026

Iran has neither openly targeted energy facilities across the Middle East nor have they openly targeted oil tankers plying the region, they say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026

Now more than 35,000 boats are registered with the Canal & River Trust, plying the network to transport goods or just for pleasure.

From Barron's ● Feb. 11, 2026

Father sat atop the coach with the driver, who was plying his whip.

From "Ella Enchanted" by Gail Carson Levine