ferry
Americannoun
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a commercial service with terminals and boats for transporting persons, automobiles, etc., across a river or other comparatively small body of water.
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a ferryboat.
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a service for flying airplanes over a particular route, especially the delivery of airplanes to an overseas purchaser or base of operations.
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the legal right to ferry passengers, cargo, etc., and to charge for the service.
verb (used with object)
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to carry or convey back and forth over a fixed route in a boat or plane.
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to fly (an airplane) over a particular route, especially for delivery.
verb (used without object)
noun
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Also called: ferryboat. a vessel for transporting passengers and usually vehicles across a body of water, esp as a regular service
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such a service
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( in combination )
a ferryman
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a legal right to charge for transporting passengers by boat
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the act or method of delivering aircraft by flying them to their destination
verb
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to transport or go by ferry
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to deliver (an aircraft) by flying it to its destination
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(tr) to convey (passengers, goods, etc)
the guests were ferried to the church in taxis
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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ferrysimple
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ferriessimple
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have ferriedperfect
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has ferriedperfect
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am ferryingprogressive
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are ferryingprogressive
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is ferryingprogressive
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have been ferryingperfect progressive
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has been ferryingperfect progressive
Past
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ferriedsimple
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had ferriedperfect
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was ferryingprogressive
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were ferryingprogressive
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had been ferryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of ferry
before 1150; Middle English ferien, Old English ferian to carry; cognate with Old Norse ferja, Gothic farjan; akin to fare
Explanation
A ferry is a boat that carries people, cars, and cargo back and forth across a body of water. The Staten Island Ferry ferries commuters from Manhattan to Staten Island every ten minutes during rush hour. To ferry means to transport by ferry, or to transport in other ferry-like ways, i.e., multiple short trips. If you have an ice-skating birthday party, your dad might ferry a few van loads of kids back to your house afterward, for pizza and cake.
Vocabulary lists containing ferry
Greetings, World Traveler! — List 2
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Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 17–September 23, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
On this particular day, he’s debating whether to go to Boston to film content with Scotland’s Tartan Army ahead of their World Cup Match or sit tight at his coastal compound, called Ferry Views.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 27, 2026
And the party may take as much encouragement from the fact they came second, less than 200 votes ahead of Reform, in the other Scottish by-election in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
In Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, Lara Bird won the seat on Scotland's east coast for the SNP with a majority of more than 5,000 votes over the Conservatives.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
The Conservatives won in Aberdeen South, taking the seat from the SNP, while the SNP held on in Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.
From BBC • Jun. 19, 2026
And now we’ve learned the Uncles from Boggs Ferry and Stormville have been taken as well.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
