ferry

American  

[fer-ee] / ˈfɛr i /

noun

plural

ferries

1. a commercial service with terminals and boats for transporting persons, automobiles, etc., across a river or other comparatively small body of water.

2. a ferryboat.

3. a service for flying airplanes over a particular route, especially the delivery of airplanes to an overseas purchaser or base of operations.

4. the legal right to ferry passengers, cargo, etc., and to charge for the service.

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verb (used with object)

ferried, ferrying

1. to carry or convey back and forth over a fixed route in a boat or plane.

2. to fly (an airplane) over a particular route, especially for delivery.

verb (used without object)

ferried, ferrying

1. to go in a ferry.

ferry British  

/ ˈfɛrɪ /

noun

1. Also called: ferryboat.  a vessel for transporting passengers and usually vehicles across a body of water, esp as a regular service

2. 1. such a service

   2. ( in combination )

      a ferryman

3. a legal right to charge for transporting passengers by boat

4. the act or method of delivering aircraft by flying them to their destination

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verb

1. to transport or go by ferry

2. to deliver (an aircraft) by flying it to its destination

3. (tr) to convey (passengers, goods, etc)

   the guests were ferried to the church in taxis

Other Word Forms

• unferried
  adjective

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.

Example Sentences

Crabtree worked on mission operations for SpaceX for more than a decade, first with the Falcon 9 rocket and later the Dragon spacecraft designed to ferry humans to the International Space Station.

From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026

Filipino ferry dispatcher Dave Delos Reyes has been handing out N95 masks for nearly three weeks to protect passengers against the smoke that a landfill fire has sent billowing above a stretch of Manila Bay.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

He has his summer job from last year, as a dock hand for a ferry, to fall back on, he said, but that’s not quite the same.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 25, 2026

Ferguson Marine delivered MV Glen Sannox in November 2024 but a second large CalMac ferry MV Glen Rosa is not due for delivery until the end of this year.

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

We knew because we met the ferry each evening.

From "Jacob Have I Loved" by Katherine Paterson

Related Words

• carry
• chauffeur
• lug
• send
• ship
• shuttle
• tote
• transport