ferry

[ fer-ee ]

/ ˈfɛr i /

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See synonyms for: ferry / ferried on Thesaurus.com

Definition of ferry

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.

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Origin of ferry

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

OTHER WORDS FROM ferry

un·fer·ried, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use ferry in a sentence

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

From here the fisherman ferries her over the broad Rhone, and we accompany her over the Camargue, down to the sea.
Frdric Mistral|Charles Alfred Downer
It is the sandy valley and the made ground down by the ferries—up to Montgomery Street, in fact—that get the worst of it.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
A number of the refugees were marching towards the ferries, although a curtain of smoke bounded the lower end of Market Street.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Electric tramways and omnibuses serve all parts of the city, and numerous ferries ply across the river.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3|Various
We have all of us our ferries (to cross over) in this world, and must know the river and its ways, or get drowned some day.
Dictionary of Quotations from Ancient and Modern, English and Foreign Sources|James Wood

British Dictionary definitions for ferry

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

ferry

Definition of ferry

Origin of ferry

OTHER WORDS FROM ferry

Words related to ferry

How to use ferry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ferry

Word Origin for ferry