/ ˈferi; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
( pl. -ies ) a boat that carries people, vehicles and goods across a river or across a narrow part of the sea :
the cross-channel ferry service
We caught the ferry at Ostend.
the Dover-Calais ferry crossing
the Staten Island ferry
■ verb
( fer·ries , ferry·ing , fer·ried , fer·ried ) [usually + adv. / prep. ] to carry people or goods in a boat or other vehicle from one place to another, often for a short distance and as a regular service :
[ vn ]
He offered to ferry us across the river in his boat.
The children need to be ferried to and from school.
[also v ]
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old Norse ferja ferry boat, of Germanic origin and related to fare .