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

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Etymology

Origin of wherry

1400–50; late Middle English whery < ?

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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

The wherry was there, swinging loosely and idly on its chain.

From The Maid of Honour (Vol. 3 of 3) A Tale of the Dark Days of France by Lewis Wingfield

Such was the old wager wherry, and its later development of the wager outrigger.

From Boating by W. B. Woodgate

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

From Guy Fawkes or The Gunpowder Treason by William Harrison Ainsworth

He held by the fleece till rescued by a gentleman in a wherry.

From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 1 by Frederick Whymper

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

Here is a place made wide to admit of wherries passing, and we can hold on here until she gets by. 

From The Handbook to the Rivers and Broads of Norfolk & Suffolk by G. Christopher Davies

A large trade has arisen in the letting of yachts, boats, and pleasure wherries for cruising purposes; but the inn accommodation has made little advance, and is still too meagre, and insufficient for the demand. 

From The Handbook to the Rivers and Broads of Norfolk & Suffolk by G. Christopher Davies

Innumerable wherries dart about, rowed by two men each; they are strongly built, for baiting trawls on the banks and in a sea is no child's play.

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

"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 Sophie May

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