noun
ferry
FEH-ree
noun
1
A boat or ship that carries passengers and vehicles across a stretch of water on a regular route.
"We took the ferry across the channel instead of flying."
"The ferry runs every hour during the summer season."
verb
1
To transport people or things, especially back and forth or across water.
"A small boat ferried supplies out to the island."
"She spent the afternoon ferrying kids to and from football practice."
How to Use Ferry
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA boat that regularly carries people or vehicles across water, or the act of transporting something back and forth.
Common pairings
take the ferry
ferry passengers
ferry crossing
Word Forms
ferried past tense, ferries plural, Ferrys plural, ferries singular
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We took the _____ across the channel instead of flying.
Etymology
The verb comes from Old English ferian, "to carry," related to English "fare" (as in "thoroughfare"); the noun sense of a water crossing developed under the influence of Old Norse ferja.