plywood

American  

[plahy-wood] / ˈplaɪˌwʊd /

noun

• plywoods
  plural

1. a material used for various building purposes, consisting usually of an odd number of layers of wood veneer glued over each other, such that the wood grain of each layer is perpendicular to the layers surrounding it.

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plywood British  

/ ˈplaɪˌwʊd /

noun

1. a structural board consisting of an odd number of thin layers of wood glued together under pressure, with the grain of one layer at right angles to the grain of the adjoining layer

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• plywoods
  plural

Etymology

Origin of plywood

First recorded in 1905–10; ply ² + wood ¹

Explanation

Plywood is a building material that's made from layers of wood that are glued together. This construction means that plywood is very strong and resistant to chipping or warping. There are many kinds of plywood, and even more ways to use it. Plywood made from soft woods is used for sub-flooring in new homes and packaging of various kinds. Harder plywood can be made into furniture, walls, cabinets, stereo speakers, and sports equipment. The layers (or plies) in a piece of plywood are glued together with the grain direction alternating, which makes it sturdy even when it's thin.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

plywood plywoods

The blast of wind sent plywood flying through the air and dislodged heavy machinery.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

That’s why past rulings said one plywood manufacturer couldn’t write off Super Bowl tickets but a struggling fashion designer could deduct the costs incurred with a local television appearance.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

Due to water damage, the now-warped back door would not close; he drilled plywood into the frames to secure the restaurant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

The islands' roughly 200,000 inhabitants have queued at petrol stations in recent days and thronged hardware stores to buy plywood and supermarkets for food, bottled water and other essentials.

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

In an unassuming storeroom filled with dropcloths and pallets and crates, behind a sheet of plywood, the mineralogist reveals a simple combination safe that the assistant director opens rather easily.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr

Three-fourths of the casein consumed in the U.S. goes into making coated papers, the rest into plywoods, plastics, water paints, leather finishes, etc.

From Time Magazine Archive