Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words

ply with

Definition of ply with

:to offer or give (something) to (someone) repeatedly or constantly
  • Waiters plied guests with wine and hors d'oeuvres.
  • He plied me with questions.

Read the Latest from M-W

alt-59e60c9d3e5ea
Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism
video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III
alt-59e77dc36c593
The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

Word by Word Definitions

ply play

  1. : to use or wield diligently

  2. : to practice or perform diligently

  3. : to keep furnishing or supplying something to

  1. : one of several layers (as of cloth) usually sewn or laminated together

  2. : one of the strands in a yarn

  3. : one of the veneer sheets forming plywood

  1. : to twist together

See the full definition of ply

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up ply with? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

hew

play

to conform or adhere

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. spurious of a deceitful nature or quality

  2. righteous We provide an assortment of definitions

  3. Kafkaesque 'A nightmarish quality'

  4. mike "microphone"

  5. moron “a very stupid person”

SEE ALL

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59e77dc36c593
The Origins of 'Lobbyist'

From the front hallways to the back rooms

alt-59e673567065d
The History of the Word 'Terrorism'

Noah Webster first entered the term in 1840

alt-59e65152518a6
'Regimen' vs. 'Regiment'

The rule of thumb for words about rules

alt-59e50f5a357b4
'Spox' May Go On The Record

From newsroom lingo to the mainstream

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

one-green-toy-robot-amidst-many-red-toy-robots
The Exceptions Quiz III

Which of these things doesn't belong?

Take the quiz
knupfer-painting-solon-before-croesus
Forms of Government Quiz

Name that government! Or something like that.

Take the quiz
Spell It
Spell It

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game