wherry

American  

[hwer-ee, wer-ee] / ˈʰwɛr i, ˈwɛr i /

noun

wherries plural

1. a light rowboat for one person; skiff.

2. any of various barges, fishing vessels, etc., used locally in England.

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verb (used with or without object)

wherried, wherrying

1. to use, or transport in, a wherry.

wherry British  

/ ˈwɛrɪ /

noun

1. any of certain kinds of half-decked commercial boats, such as barges, used in Britain

2. a light rowing boat used in inland waters and harbours

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• wherryman
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• wherries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of wherry

1400–50; late Middle English whery < ?

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

wherry wherries wherrying

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

This was to row in what were called ‘old-fashioned’ wager boats, i.e. the lightest form of wherry which used to be built before H. Clasper established outriggers.

From Boating by Woodgate, W. B.

On the street that skirts the harbor I saw a fisherman just landed enter his cottage, "paying out," as he went, from a coil of rope, one end being, I ascertained, fastened to his wherry.

From Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast by Drake, Samuel Adams

But as this was not the case, he was placed in a wherry, and conveyed, as before related, to the Tower.

From Guy Fawkes or The Gunpowder Treason by Ainsworth, William Harrison

And followed by Guy Fawkes, he hurried to the river side, where a wherry was moored.

From Guy Fawkes or The Gunpowder Treason by Ainsworth, William Harrison

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

Glancing astern, I remarked four wherries coming down at a great pace with the ebb.

From Nooks and Corners of the New England Coast by Drake, Samuel Adams

It, too, looks picturesque, with its quays, and shipping, and tugs, and wherries.

From Memoirs of Service Afloat, During the War Between the States by Semmes, Raphael

There were no minnows darting through the depths like silver needles, or craw-fish burrowing in the banks, or water beetles skimming the surface like oarsmen rowing their light wherries.

From Witch Winnie's Mystery, or The Old Oak Cabinet The Story of a King's Daughter by Champney, Elizabeth W. (Elizabeth Williams)

"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