ply 1 of 3

Definition of plynext
as in to exert
to bring to bear especially forcefully or effectively she plied all of her charm and intelligence to convince everyone to volunteer as tutors

Synonyms & Similar Words

ply

3 of 3

verb (2)

as in to weave
to cause to twine about one another two single yarns were plied together to get the fabric that smooth, firm feel

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of ply
Noun
By then, standard-issue electric typewriters and six-ply carbon paper had been replaced by far less visually interesting computers. Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2026 To make this a game-changer, Mitsubishi employed a craftsman hand-roll process using full-length, high-strength carbon fiber plies in internal layers, to create a super smooth bend profile for the best-possible feedback and feel. Scott Kramer, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
Tsietsi sent one of them to the front as a lookout, while the others eagerly plied him with questions about his activities. Literary Hub, 16 June 2026 These challenges are why solar sails aren't yet plying the vastness of space. Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 31 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for ply
Recent Examples of Synonyms for ply
Noun
  • The key to passing legislation is treating all energy equally and making clear that final permits cannot be undone based on political bias on the left or the right.
    Brian Sullivan, CNBC, 9 July 2026
  • Why LLMs struggle with spreadsheets Part of why structured data has garnered less attention is a very human bias, argues Boris van Breugel, a senior AI researcher based in Amsterdam.
    Benjamin Skuse, IEEE Spectrum, 9 July 2026
Verb
  • Beijing has exerted greater institutional control in Tibet since Xi Jinping became the country's president in 2012.
    Kanishka Singh, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • Avard grew concerned that the Chinese bottled water company Nongfu Spring, which purchased a more than 375,000 square-foot industrial property in Nashua in 2025, would begin to exert influence over the local political process.
    Max Grinstein, The Washington Examiner, 3 July 2026
Verb
  • Police continue to investigate why the driver was weaving and drove into the pole, Becchina said.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2026
  • Residents complained about teenagers popping wheelies through shopping centers, blowing stop signs, weaving around pedestrians and treating greenways like race courses.
    Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
Noun
  • His tendency to strike out was a weakness dating to his high school days in North Texas.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
  • Short for adversarial hallucination squatting, HalluSquatting is built on an LLM’s inherent tendency to hallucinate the resource identifiers hosted in repositories and registries.
    Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 8 July 2026
Verb
  • When the Wright brothers first flew, the doubt was never about whether the machine worked, but whether flight would ever be something ordinary people used without a second thought.
    Charlotte Kiang, Forbes.com, 9 July 2026
  • In the Tahoe Basin, the Caldor fire restoration plan outlines roughly 3,600 acres where the Forest Service could use ground crews to apply herbicide directly to shrubs — no aerial spraying.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026
Noun
  • Federal judge Aileen Cannon dismissed a lawsuit with prejudice on Monday, July 6, after poet Kimberly Marasco sued Swift, Aaron Dessner, Republic Records and Universal Music Group in February 2025, according to documents obtained by USA TODAY.
    Liza Esquibias, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Her initial lawsuit, filed in May 2024, was dismissed with prejudice in September 2025.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 July 2026
Verb
  • The Calabria governor confirmed that 63 Cuban doctors, some of them previously involved in Cuba’s international medical mission, recently applied to work in its healthcare system independently.
    ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
  • The hospitality wage and the enforcement fee only apply to hotels and motels with 150 or more rooms — roughly 110 properties.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 July 2026
Verb
  • Speaking with Reuters on Thursday in a Palestinian village, Khanna said his ⁠group’s van was surrounded by settlers wielding M4 rifles a day earlier while touring a part of the southern West Bank where residents face frequent settler attacks.
    Reuters, NBC news, 11 July 2026
  • Speaking with Reuters on July 9 in a Palestinian village, Khanna said his group's van was surrounded by settlers wielding M4 rifles a day earlier while touring a part of the southern West Bank where residents face frequent settler attacks.
    Rami Ayyub, USA Today, 11 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Ply.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/ply. Accessed 14 Jul. 2026.

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