ferry
Americannoun
-
ferries
plural
-
a commercial service with terminals and boats for transporting persons, automobiles, etc., across a river or other comparatively small body of water.
-
a ferryboat.
-
a service for flying airplanes over a particular route, especially the delivery of airplanes to an overseas purchaser or base of operations.
-
the legal right to ferry passengers, cargo, etc., and to charge for the service.
verb (used with object)
-
ferries,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ferried,
past participle, past
-
ferrying
present participle
-
to carry or convey back and forth over a fixed route in a boat or plane.
-
to fly (an airplane) over a particular route, especially for delivery.
verb (used without object)
-
ferries,
present (3rd person singular)
-
ferried,
past participle, past
-
ferrying
present participle
noun
-
Also called: ferryboat. a vessel for transporting passengers and usually vehicles across a body of water, esp as a regular service
-
-
such a service
-
( in combination )
a ferryman
-
-
a legal right to charge for transporting passengers by boat
-
the act or method of delivering aircraft by flying them to their destination
verb
-
to transport or go by ferry
-
to deliver (an aircraft) by flying it to its destination
-
(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
-
ferrysimple
-
ferriessimple
-
have ferriedperfect
-
has ferriedperfect
-
am ferryingprogressive
-
are ferryingprogressive
-
is ferryingprogressive
-
have been ferryingperfect progressive
-
has been ferryingperfect progressive
Past
-
ferriedsimple
-
had ferriedperfect
-
was ferryingprogressive
-
were ferryingprogressive
-
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina & New Orleans
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for September 17–September 23, 2022
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The ferry had departed from the Northern Cyprus port of Kyrenia -- called Girne Kepuveia in Turkish -- heading to the Turkish port of Tasucu.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
The ferry had been carrying a total of 267 people, according to authorities, of which 161 were rescued and taken to hospital and 76 have returned home.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
In her hometown of Naoshima, visitors coming by ferry are greeted by her outdoor Red Pumpkin sculpture covered in bold, black polka dots.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
A town lawyer and Rowan reached a settlement that blessed the property as a restaurant, with some concessions from the private-equity billionaire, including a promise to never provide ferry access.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The day before the attack, Christopher sat on a bench outside the ferry terminal, waiting for his grandfather.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
Another 4,712 people were detected entering the UK without permission via other methods including hiding in vehicles, travelling on ferries or through airports from July 2025 to June 2026.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
Down by her green toes, Melanie Griffith’s Staten Island secretary Tess McGill ferries to Manhattan to type memos for important men.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
He was gazing at Nantucket Harbor, where ferries were turning toward the mainland.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
In recent weeks, Ukraine has hit ferries, bridges and highways connecting Crimea and Russian-occupied mainland Ukraine with Russia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Steadily it had plodded, through valleys without trails, through streams without bridges or ferries for crossing.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
Once in Britain, according to the New York Times, Trump was covertly ferried back to Air Force One as though he had been aboard the whole time.
From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026
At its peak, 80 firefighters tackled the blaze, with Isle of Wight crews supported by firefighters and engines ferried over from the mainland.
From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026
These barrels were increasingly ferried out by ships that sailed “dark.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
Voting took place across the tiny Mediterranean island nation on Saturday, and ballots were ferried overnight to the Counting Hall in Naxxar, where counting begins on Sunday morning.
From Barron's ● May 31, 2026
The drench seemed to come off the sea floor itself, where blind white fish ferried themselves by their own light through the great polar cold.
From "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Plath
But it’s also the school year, with every public school in the state open and parents already ferrying their children back and forth each day.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026
Obviously, clambering up and down the dangerously steep pass, ferrying goods on horseback or by mule or — for a few wacky, experimental months in the mid-1850s, Army camels — wasn’t workable.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 1, 2026
The sides of the shuttle buses ferrying Open fans to Royal Birkdale are plastered with a picture of Tommy Fleetwood holding the Claret Jug.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
Then, diplomats from Qatar and Pakistan raced in, ferrying messages between Tehran and Washington that a peace deal was almost done on Wednesday and convincing Trump to call off new strikes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 13, 2026
The British ATA continued ferrying aircraft until the spring of 1946, though they officially disbanded in November 1945.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
