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📄 A layer 🍽️ To give repeatedly 🛠️ To work steadily ⛴️ To travel regularly 🧶 To twist layers
to ply

to ply

4 7.2
To travel regularly along a set route, often carrying people or goods
  • verb
  • /plaɪ/
translation icon : circular por
  • We have a navy plying the seas all over the world.
  • ships ply
  • ply the waters
  • buses ply

The next year, a steamship named after the celebrated ballerina, the Fannie Elsler, was plying the Atlantic.

Examples

  • The next year, a steamship named after the celebrated ballerina, the Fannie Elsler, was plying the Atlantic.

    Harvard University

  • Today, increasing numbers of ships ply the oceans, transporting 80% of the world's trade volume.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Today, ships four times as large as those involved in the accident ply the waterway.

    Academic text (2009)

  • There are thousands and thousands of barge strings that ply the Mississippi each year.

    Blog text (9)

  • Ferryboats regularly ply the waters from Piraeus to the islands and vice versa.

    Academic text (1999)

  • A government was organized, the Church was established, and soon trading galleons were annually plying the Pacific between the Philippines and Mexico.

    Academic text (1996)

  • There was, for example, a bus that plied the roads around Mbanza Manteke in Bas-Zaire in the early sixties.

    Academic text (1996)

  • Smaller passenger cars (usually the trusty Peugeot 404 station wagons) also plied the routes from there.

    Blog text (11)

  • Tourist boats regularly ply the river, offering sightseeing tours throughout the day.

  • The city buses ply their routes every twenty minutes, ensuring efficient transportation for commuters.

Synonyms

to run
vsto ply
584 2.7

To travel regularly along a set route on a schedule

is used for regular commercial journeys between fixed points rather than general trips
to sail
vsto ply
275 1.0

To travel on water in a boat, often using large fabric to catch wind

is about regular commercial journeys between fixed points rather than general water travel

Antonyms

to divert
94 4.2

To cause something like traffic or a river to go a different way

to deviate
51 5.8

To change direction or move away from a planned route

Compounds

two-ply
1 3.1

Two thin layers joined to make something stronger or warmer

cross-ply
  • Specialized
8.4

A tire with diagonal cloth layers that make the tread flexible and the sides stiff

radial-ply tire
  • Specialized
5.4

A tire for cars with strong layers running across it to give a smoother, longer lasting ride

radial-ply
  • Specialized
8.1

A tire with layers running across it at right angles, giving longer tread life and flexible sides

three-ply
3.9

Made of three layers joined together

How Often

to ply
4 7.2
to visit
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

ply infinitive
plied past
plied past participle
plying present participle
plies third person singular

Etymology

When boats or vehicles ply a route, think of the idea of doing something again and again, like a ferry that goes back and forth; so to ply a route is to travel it regularly for business.