ferry

[ fer-ee ]

/ ˈfɛr i /

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 forms

un·fer·ried, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for ferries

The ferries run every half-hour to the Russian mainland, but they take only a few dozen cars on each trip.
Crimea: A Patriotic Russian Vacation From Hell|Anna Nemtsova|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
I don't mean yachts or ferries, but proper working ships: cargo and container and bulk and gas and oil, the ones we no longer see.
How Does All Your Stuff Get to You? Inside the Shipping Industry|Rose George|August 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But a new service that ferries passengers from Boston to Cape Cod has been a success – without huge government subsidies.
CapeFlyer Train From Boston to Cape Cod Is Overnight Success|Kelsey Meany|July 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
One evening, 29-year-old Mahmoud explained to me that he ferries money, not guns, to the Syrian people.
Are Foreign Jihadists Gaining Influence Inside the Syrian Rebel Forces?|Anna Therese Day|October 16, 2012|DAILY BEAST

It was the duty of the court to order and direct the boats and hands in use at the ferries.
Some Notes on Shipbuilding and Shipping in Colonial Virginia|Cerinda W. Evans
Danish enterprise overcomes the difficulties of transport through a kingdom of islands by these ferries.
Denmark|M. Pearson Thomson
Then the raft comes of itself to where the man is standing, and ferries him over.
Myths and Legends of British North America|Katharine Berry Judson
All morning long, ferries, trolleys, trains were jammed with the race-mad throng.
Garrison's Finish|W. B. M. Ferguson
He was very democratic in his taste, and loved to mingle with the crowds on the ferries and omnibuses.
Elson Grammar School Literature, Book Four.|William H. Elson

British Dictionary definitions for ferries

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