I. fer ‧ ry 1 /ˈferi/ BrE AmE noun ( plural ferries ) [countable]
a boat that carries people or goods across a river or a narrow area of water
• • •
THESAURUS
■ ships that carry people
▪ passenger ship a ship that carries people rather than goods
▪ cruise ship a large ship that people have holidays on
▪ liner a large ship that sails long distances across the ocean:
an ocean liner
|
a transatlantic liner
▪ ferry a ship that makes short regular journeys between two places:
The ferry operates daily between Hull and Zeebrugge.
II. ferry 2 BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle ferried , present participle ferrying , third person singular ferries ) [transitive always + adverb/preposition]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: ferian 'to carry, take' ]
to carry people or things a short distance from one place to another in a boat or other vehicle
ferry somebody/something (from something) to something
The ship was used to ferry supplies to Russia during the war.
ferry somebody/something across something
ferrying passengers across the Channel