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
Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Several acts who have been plying their musical craft since the 1960s and are still performing well over half a century later are visiting Connecticut this week.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
Launch is planned for July 2028, and Dragonfly will cruise for six years, plying the empty vastness between our two worlds.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Verb
Although by this point Garrison had already been plying the slammer trade for several years, Alfortish wasn’t shy about offering him tactical advice.
—Patrick Radden Keefe, New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2026
Several acts who have been plying their musical craft since the 1960s and are still performing well over half a century later are visiting Connecticut this week.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 11 Apr. 2026
Launch is planned for July 2028, and Dragonfly will cruise for six years, plying the empty vastness between our two worlds.
—Phil Plait, Scientific American, 10 Apr. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Plying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plying. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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