ply

¹

[ plahy ]

verb (used with object)

, plied, ply·ing.

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 by with ):

   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.

verb (used without object)

, plied, ply·ing.

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

[ plahy ]

noun

, plural plies.

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.

verb (used with object)

, plied, ply·ing.

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

verb (used without object)

, plied, ply·ing.

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

ply

¹

/ 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 the speaker with questions

   to ply a horse with a whip

   he plied us with drink the whole evening

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 the trade routes

   to ply between Dover and Calais

ply

²

/ 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

verb

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

Other Words From

• plying·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

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”; fold ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ply¹

C14 plye, short for aplye to apply

Origin of ply²

C15: from Old French pli fold, from plier to fold, from Latin plicāre

Example Sentences

Another aspect of Build Bronzeville is a neighborhood marketplace called Boxville, consisting of colorful, repurposed shipping containers where small businesses can ply their wares.

From MIT Technology Review

Often this is because the material itself is not strong enough to be suitable for single-ply construction.

From Popular-Science

They do this by associating the thread count to the ply of the sheet.

From Popular-Science

They home in on upcoming changes to Apple’s iOS 14 operating system that will curb the ability of companies like Facebook to gather data about users and ply them with targeted advertising.

From Fortune

She plied him with all the flavors of Gatorade, Smartwater and Ensure she could find, but he drank very little.

From Washington Post

All too often, we conventional physicians dismiss patients with unusual complaints or simply ply them with medicines.

From The Daily Beast

OSI wanted her to ply the waitress with questions about drug sales.

From The Daily Beast

The rural economy may be a dead end, but some of these migrants ply their savings into massive new compounds back in the laojia.

From The Daily Beast

The labels are printed on Ply-Corr cardboard, a material made from 50 percent post-consumer waste.

From The Daily Beast

They are more likely to pick guys who ply their trade week in, week out at the highest levels.

From The Daily Beast

But the Czar's mind had early taken a strange ply which it retained to the last.

From Project Gutenberg

I am very well entered into the business and esteem of the office, and do ply it close, and find benefit by it.

From Project Gutenberg

Electric tramways and omnibuses serve all parts of the city, and numerous ferries ply across the river.

From Project Gutenberg

Thus the principal means of communication are the steamers which ply along the coast.

From Project Gutenberg

The neighbors continued to speculate and to ply Mrs. Stuvic with questions concerning Milford.

From Project Gutenberg