Meaning & use
plywood
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Meaning
noununcountable
A strong board made by gluing thin layers of wood together.
Grammar: No plural; use 'a sheet of plywood' or 'a piece of plywood' for one item.
Patterns
- a sheet of plywood
- made of plywood
- plywood furniture
The carpenter cut a sheet of plywood to fit the window.
Plywood is often used for flooring because it is strong and cheap.
They built a simple desk out of plywood.
Common combinations
- sheet of plywood
- He bought three sheets of plywood for the project.
- plywood board
- The sign was painted on a large plywood board.
- marine plywood
- Marine plywood is specially treated to resist water.
- plywood furniture
- Plywood furniture is lightweight and affordable.
Synonyms and how they differ
- veneer
- A thin layer of fine wood on a surface; plywood is made of several layers glued together.
- particle board
- Made from wood chips and glue; plywood is made from thin layers of wood.
Word family
- ply noun
- A layer or thickness, as in 'two-ply'.
Commonly confused: plywood or ply?
plywood vs ply
'Ply' means a layer or strand; 'plywood' is the board made from layers.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'plywood' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Made of plywood' is correct because 'plywood' is uncountable. Option An is wrong because 'a plywood' is not used. Option C is wrong because 'plywood' is singular and uncountable, so it takes a singular verb. Option D is wrong because 'plywood' has no plural form.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “plywood”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.