ferry

[ fer-ee ]

/ ˈfɛr i /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ferry ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural fer·ries.

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), fer·ried, fer·ry·ing.

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), fer·ried, fer·ry·ing.

to go in a ferry.

Nearby words

ferrugination, ferruginous, ferruginous duck, ferrule, ferrum, ferry, ferry bridge, ferryboat, ferryman, fertigate, fertile

Origin of ferry

before 1150; Middle English ferien, Old English ferian to carry; cognate with Old Norse ferja, Gothic farjan; akin to fare

Related formsun·fer·ried, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ferried

She had ferried more than McConville to secret graves, and the burden of what she had done took its toll.
Sinn Fein Boss Gerry Adams Wanted This Murder Bust|Ed Moloney|May 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Unlike other students, however, he was ferried to the train station in a chauffeur-driven Range Rover.
Prince William Races Home From Cambridge To Be By Kate's Side on Her Birthday|Tom Sykes|January 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That protective security bubble that has kept watch over you night and day and ferried you from city to city will be punctured.
What It Feels Like to Lose a Presidential Election|David Freedlander|November 5, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Howard Junior was tended by an army of servants and ferried to and from school in a limousine.
The Man Behind Proposition 8|Max Blumenthal|November 3, 2008|DAILY BEAST

The Gandaki, over which we were ferried, is a large stream rising in Nepaul, and as broad as the Gograh.
A Journey to Katmandu|Laurence Oliphant
Before nightfall one of his brigades was ferried across and deployed in front of the exultant enemy.
A Short Life of Abraham Lincoln|John G. Nicolay
For about a year and a half passengers and goods were ferried across the Calumpit River in pontoons.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
Was it indeed a Fate that came by night to the island softly across the sea, ferried by the ignorant hands of men?
A Spirit in Prison|Robert Hichens
The steamer that ferried us over ran as steadily as a clock and everybody felt as fine as a fiddle.
Europe Revised|Irvin S. Cobb

British Dictionary definitions for ferried

ferry

/ (ˈfɛrɪ) /

noun plural -ries

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 -ries, -rying or -ried

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

Word Origin for ferry

Old English ferian to carry, bring; related to Old Norse ferja to transport, Gothic farjan; see fare

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for ferried (1 of 2)

ferry

early 15c., "a passage over a river," from Old Norse ferju- "passage across water," ultimately from the same Germanic root as ferry (v.). The modern noun (1580s) is a shortening of ferry boat (mid-15c.).

Word Origin and History for ferried (1 of 2)

ferry

Old English ferian "to carry, convey, bring, transport," from Proto-Germanic *farjanan (cf. Old Frisian feria "carry, transport," Old Norse ferja "to pass over, to ferry," Gothic farjan "travel by boat"), from PIE *per- "going, passage." Related to fare (v.). Related: Ferried; ferries; ferrying.

ferry

noun, plural fer·ries.

verb (used with object), fer·ried, fer·ry·ing.

verb (used without object), fer·ried, fer·ry·ing.

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Nearby words

Origin of ferry

Examples from the Web for ferried

British Dictionary definitions for ferried

ferry

noun plural -ries

verb -ries, -rying or -ried

Word Origin for ferry

Word Origin and History for ferried (1 of 2)

ferry

Word Origin and History for ferried (1 of 2)

ferry