ply

/plaɪ/ verb

Definition

› [T] COMMERCE to sell something: ply (your) wares Companies should be accountable for the wares that they ply.

› [I or T] TRANSPORT to make a journey regularly: There are fears about the safety of some of the ageing vessels that ply Aegean waters.ply between sth At present, big cargo ships plying between the east and west coasts of India have to circumnavigate Sri Lanka. The airline recently founded a new operator to ply long-haul routes to China and Britain starting in July.

ply for business/hire/trade › COMMERCE to try to get customers for your business in a public place, for example, as a taxi driver, by driving around or waiting in a regular place: London's formidable black taxis enjoy a lucrative near monopoly over plying for hire on the capital's streets.

ply your trade › to do your job: Having worked as a government lawyer for 15 years, he is departing for the private sector to ply his trade as a barrister at Lincoln's Inn.

(Definition of ply verb from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)