as in exerting
to bring to bear especially forcefully or effectively
she plied all of her charm and intelligence to convince everyone to volunteer as tutors
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as in weaving
to cause to twine about one another
two single yarns were plied together to get the fabric that smooth, firm feel
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Recent Examples of plying
Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
But the court also upheld the pre-trial detention of a hotel worker and a waiter at a local restaurant who were accused of plying him with cocaine.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
But Ryan Mendes, a journeyman currently plying his trade in Turkey’s second division, will be the man who leads out the second smallest nation to feature in a World Cup finals when Cape Verde play European heavyweights Spain in their opening game.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Alex Freeman is plying his trade for Villareal in Spain, while Rodrigo Schlegel moved to Liga MX side Atlas.
—Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Eze is one of the Premier League‘s top attacking talents, currently plying his trade at league-leading Arsenal.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
Several former UnitedHealth Group physicians told STAT that the company pressured them to apply lucrative diagnosis codes to their Medicare Advantage patients, plying them using bonuses up to $10,000 and emails ranking the top performers.
—Tara Bannow, STAT, 14 Jan. 2026
Before arriving at Art Basel Miami Beach in early December with two headline-making paintings in two prominent shows, Isabelle Brourman had been traveling the country for years, plying her trade as a courtroom sketch artist.
—Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 19 Dec. 2025
Bass found somewhere to spawn, though, as intensive trapping efforts by several agencies plying eight miles of river below the dam counted more than 1,000 in 2023.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Verb
Chinese robotaxis are plying the streets of cities like Guangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai.
—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 26 Mar. 2026
But the court also upheld the pre-trial detention of a hotel worker and a waiter at a local restaurant who were accused of plying him with cocaine.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 4 Mar. 2026
But Ryan Mendes, a journeyman currently plying his trade in Turkey’s second division, will be the man who leads out the second smallest nation to feature in a World Cup finals when Cape Verde play European heavyweights Spain in their opening game.
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2026
Alex Freeman is plying his trade for Villareal in Spain, while Rodrigo Schlegel moved to Liga MX side Atlas.
—Kyle Foley, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Feb. 2026
Eze is one of the Premier League‘s top attacking talents, currently plying his trade at league-leading Arsenal.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2026
Several former UnitedHealth Group physicians told STAT that the company pressured them to apply lucrative diagnosis codes to their Medicare Advantage patients, plying them using bonuses up to $10,000 and emails ranking the top performers.
—Tara Bannow, STAT, 14 Jan. 2026
Before arriving at Art Basel Miami Beach in early December with two headline-making paintings in two prominent shows, Isabelle Brourman had been traveling the country for years, plying her trade as a courtroom sketch artist.
—Melinda Sheckells, HollywoodReporter, 19 Dec. 2025
Bass found somewhere to spawn, though, as intensive trapping efforts by several agencies plying eight miles of river below the dam counted more than 1,000 in 2023.
—Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 15 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Plying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plying. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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