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

But the cluster of blue-paneled, four-story apartment buildings—constructed by a Turkish contractor—quickly crumbled into piles of twisted metal and plywood when the earthquakes rocked Venezuela’s northern coast.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 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

Pinky Cubacub, 55, said she bought $500 worth of plywood at a lumber store for her eatery on Guam.

From Barron's ● Jul. 5, 2026

For instance, many set design buildings are made from laser-cut plywood.

From BBC ● May 11, 2026

Ordinarily, the windows wouldn’t last five minutes, but the windows of this house are boarded up with plywood.

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli

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