Ferry

/ˈfɛɹi/ · verb

Meaning

(transitive) To carry; transport; convey..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To carry; transport; convey.
2. (transitive) To move someone or something from one place to another, usually repeatedly.
3. (transitive) To carry or transport over a contracted body of water, as a river or strait, in a boat or other floating conveyance plying between opposite shores.
4. (intransitive) To pass over water in a boat or by ferry.
5. (nautical) A boat or ship used to transport people, smaller vehicles and goods from one port to another, usually on a regular schedule.
6. A place where passengers are transported across water in such a ship.
7. The service constituted by this watercraft's operation; the business (company) that operates such a service.
8. The legal right or franchise that entitles a corporate body or an individual to operate such a service: a right of ferry.

Example Sentences

Trucks plowed through the water to ferry flood victims to safety.

We ferried our stock in U-Haul trailers, and across the months, as we purchased more cowflesh from the Goat Man — meat vanishing into the ether again and again, as if into some quarkish void — we became familiar enough with Sloat and his daughter to learn that her name was Flozelle, and to visit with them about matters other than stock.

Being a good waiter takes more than the ability to ferry plates of food around a restaurant.

A “moving platform” scheme[…]is more technologically ambitious than maglev trains even though it relies on conventional rails. Local trains would use side-by-side rails to roll alongside intercity trains and allow passengers to switch trains by stepping through docking bays. […] This would also let high-speed trains skirt cities as moving platforms ferry passengers to and from the city centre.

They ferry over this Lethean sound / Both to and fro.

Near-synonym: ferryboat

Islanders normally have to queue for half an hour to get on the ferry.

To reach Mui Wo, a small town on Lantau Island, you take a ferry from central Hong Kong, and after a 30-minute ride arrive at a small square with a car park and bus stops blackened by fumes.

Synonyms for ferry

Antonyms for ferry

Related Words

Word Forms

• ferries
• ferrying
• ferried

Usage Notes

Choose a synonym only when it preserves the intended meaning, tone, and grammar of the full sentence.

Practice and Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions