wherry
Americannoun
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a light rowboat for one person; skiff.
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any of various barges, fishing vessels, etc., used locally in England.
verb (used with or without object)
noun
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any of certain kinds of half-decked commercial boats, such as barges, used in Britain
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a light rowing boat used in inland waters and harbours
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of wherry
1400–50; late Middle English whery < ?
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Canaries’ next play Brighton and Watford and improved performances and results will be needed if this Norfolk project isn’t to take on the appearance of a wherry holed beneath the waterline.
From The Guardian ● Oct. 28, 2019
A wherry was unmoored: guided by my voice, they soon reached us; and but a brief interval elapsed before we were safely housed in an adjoining tavern.
From Harper's New Monthly Magazine, Vol III, No 13, 1851 by Various
A small open vessel, or water craft, usually moved by cars or paddles, but often by a sail. µ Different kinds of boats have different names; as, canoe, yawl, wherry, pinnace, punt, etc.
From Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (2nd 100 Pages) by Webster, Noah
Laurie and Jo rowed one boat; Mr. Brooke and Ned the other; while Fred Vaughn, the riotous twin, did his best to upset both by paddling about in a wherry like a disturbed water-bug.
From Little Women or Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy by Alcott, Louisa May
I am an early riser, but even before I was astir a wherry crossed the little harbor my window overlooked.
From Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast by Drake, Samuel Adams
Before lorries became the preferred mode of transportation, wherries - large sailing boats used in the Broads - would have transported goods to and from the factory.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Through black smoke and swirling green fire, Davos glimpsed a swarm of small, boats bearing downriver: a confusion of ferries and wherries, barges, skiffs, rowboats, and hulks that looked too rotten to float.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Coombes had been beaten by Campbell in old-fashioned wherries, such as could be used for the business of conveying passengers.
From Boating by Woodgate, W. B.
Fifty barges, filled with the various companies, followed, marshalled and kept in order by three light wherries with officers.
From Old and New London Volume I by Thornbury, Walter
There are always numbers of wherries leaving Norwich and Yarmouth, and if you hail the one you fancy, you will be readily taken on board.
From The Handbook to the Rivers and Broads of Norfolk & Suffolk by Davies, G. Christopher
"My darling child," said she, hugging and kissing her just as tenderly as if she had never been "wherrying."
From Dotty Dimple At Home by May, Sophie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
