Definition of "ferry" in English

verb

1. (transitive) To carry; transport; convey.

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

2. (transitive) To move someone or something from one place to another, usually repeatedly.

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

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.

noun

1. (nautical) A boat or ship used to transport people, smaller vehicles and goods from one port to another, usually on a regular schedule.

   • Near-synonym: ferryboat

2. A place where passengers are transported across water in such a ship.

3. The service constituted by this watercraft's operation; the business (company) that operates such a service.

   • In those days there was a ferry at Sleepytown. Modern roads and bridges for motor vehicles have rendered such local river ferries obsolete.

4. The legal right or franchise that entitles a corporate body or an individual to operate such a service: a right of ferry.

   • granted a ferry to