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.

Words nearby ferry

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

OTHER WORDS FROM ferry

un·fer·ried, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for ferry

And earlier that day, the 43-year-old had earned the précis, breaking up a skirmish by the Staten Island Ferry.
Before Eric Garner, There Was Michael Stewart: The Tragic Story of the Real-Life Radio Raheem|Marlow Stern|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
There was no trouble on the ferry as it reached Manhattan and a few of the passengers boarded the subway to the protest uptown.
‘I Can’t Breathe!’ ‘I Can’t Breathe!’ A Moral Indictment of Cop Culture|Michael Daly|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As a precaution against a possible disturbance, the ferry was escorted by a police boat, its blue lights flashing.
‘I Can’t Breathe!’ ‘I Can’t Breathe!’ A Moral Indictment of Cop Culture|Michael Daly|December 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Marine One will ferry him to JFK Airport, where Air Force One awaits.
Behind the Scenes With a ‘Site Agent’: The Secret Service’s Hardest Job|Marc Ambinder|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

For a more scenic journey, travel by ferry from Whittier or Valdez.
America’s Best Summer Food Festivals|Lonely Planet|July 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Down to Ferry Hill's twenty-five yards swept the line of battle, slowly, irrevocably.
The Crimson Sweater|Ralph Henry Barbour
We fortified the post by an epaulement or two for cannon, high up on the hillside covering the ferry and the road up New River.
Military Reminiscences of the Civil War V1|Jacob Dolson Cox
The boys had no more respect for a ferry pilot than they did an M.P.
A Yankee Flier in Italy|Rutherford G. Montgomery
I sloped up one street and down another, going like a jack rabbit, till I found myself before a ferry boat.
On the Lightship|Herman Knickerbocker Viel
How busy we were kept, and how much oftener I wrote to Ferry, and to Camille, than to my mother.
The Cavalier|George Washington Cable

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