[Elamur Dictionary](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/ply/)

[dictionaries](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [English](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/) / [P](https://md.dictionary.elamur.ai/free/en/english/p/) / ply

# ply

verb (plies, plying, plied)

«ply» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. To ply someone with something is to keep giving them food or drink, often more than they want. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/ply/#m1)
2. (old use) To ply a trade or tool is to work at it steadily. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/ply/#m2)

### In the lessons

in stories a host keeps pressing a guest to drink, so that the guest is made foolish or unable to leave

### Examples

- The merchant seated him at table and began plying him with brandy. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/ply/#x1)
- He kept plying the guest with cakes and tea. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/ply/#x2)
- The old sailor plied his trade by the harbour for forty years. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/ply/#x3)

### Note

nothing for maths

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «ply» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/ply/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«ply» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/ply.html) on Mova free.