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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of plying
Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 16 May 2026
From there, the Amerongen sailed east, plying colonial trade routes around Java.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2026
No one has been plying his trade on Katella Avenue longer than Terry, and that’s shown through in his leadership by example, his support of his teammates and his production.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
However, in a preliminary list announced by the head coach this week — which previewed the names of players currently plying their trade in the Mexican league — a vacant spot was left among the goalkeepers specifically for players based abroad.
—German Fernández-Moores, Houston Chronicle, 1 May 2026
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
Verb
The kitschy Bubble Room restaurant is serving up its legendary sky-high slices of cake, and Captiva Cruises has a full schedule of sunset, wildlife watching, and sightseeing tours plying the local waterways.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 16 May 2026
From there, the Amerongen sailed east, plying colonial trade routes around Java.
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2026
No one has been plying his trade on Katella Avenue longer than Terry, and that’s shown through in his leadership by example, his support of his teammates and his production.
—Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 4 May 2026
However, in a preliminary list announced by the head coach this week — which previewed the names of players currently plying their trade in the Mexican league — a vacant spot was left among the goalkeepers specifically for players based abroad.
—German Fernández-Moores, Houston Chronicle, 1 May 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for plying
Verb
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Industry groups, meanwhile, are quashing proposals for higher taxes or stricter regulation by exerting pressure on lawmakers and cozying up to power players in the worlds of philanthropy, medicine, and science.—
Lev Facher,
STAT,
12 May 2026
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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claims that the leader is lucid and exerting total control over the country that his office commands.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Customers also appreciated the easy setup, with one person commenting that weaving the leaves throughout the macramé details helped create a fuller, more natural look.—
Kate Donovan,
Southern Living,
13 May 2026
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Variety spoke with Levy and Bright about the decision behind weaving Dean and Allie into Season 1, the NIL landscape that forced their hand on some of the book’s most popular plot points and what Hunter Davenport’s early arrival signals about where this show is going.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
13 May 2026
Verb
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The rooms Judy likes to give each hotel a personality, but using Poldark as inspiration wouldn’t be nearly quirky enough for the Hutsons.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 May 2026
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The stores will be roughly 20,000 square feet and exclusively accessible to gig workers using the retailer’s Spark delivery driver app to collect orders and bring them to customers.—
Glenn Taylor,
Footwear News,
15 May 2026
Verb
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Giant titanium face sculptures from previous installations reappear among the vessel surfaces, while elongated, twisting faces hang throughout the space.—
Anthony DeMarco,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
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Bystander video posted to Facebook showed two jets making contact in the air, then twisting and careening in the sky before hitting the ground and erupting in a plume of dirt and fire.—
Tom Dreisbach,
NPR,
17 May 2026
Verb
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Some portion of eligible people are probably discouraged from applying at all, believing the lottery system to be rigged or pointless.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
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And if the cabinet grandfathers only the HS classes of 2024 and 2025 while applying the new rule to 2026 graduates, an entire cohort gets jammed onto the same clock as players one and two years older—a cliff disguised as a transition.—
Daryl G. Jones,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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No ruler-wielding schoolmarm can impart the urgency of learning the way hunger can.—
John Phillips,
Outdoor Life,
14 May 2026
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City officials, when wielding that exemption, must determine if the public interest in keeping documents secret outweighs the public interest in disclosing documents, First Amendment Coalition Executive Director David Snyder said.—
Ishani Desai,
Sacbee.com,
12 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Plying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/plying. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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