ferry

ferry — noun

1. A boat that follows a set route and timetable, carrying passengers, cars, and go

1.nounA2
Definition

A boat that follows a set route and timetable, carrying passengers, cars, and goods over a river or short stretch of sea.

Example

The ferry from Hong Kong to Macau takes about one hour each way.

named route: from [A] to [B]

Cyrus took the morning ferry across the river to reach his new office.

take + the + ferry + across [water]

Common collocations
  • take a / the ferry
  • catch / miss the ferry
  • ferry terminal
  • ferry crossing
  • ferry service
  • ferry route
Synonyms
  • boat

    a more general term; a ferry is a type of boat that runs on a regular route

  • ship

    used for larger ferries that cross open sea, but ship usually implies long-distance travel

  • passenger vessel

    more formal; covers all types of ships that carry passengers, not only ferries

ferry — verb

Word family

  • ferryman
    nounC1
  • ferryboat
    nounB2
  • ferry terminal
    nounB2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Boat is the widest term, covering any small-to-medium vessel used on water. Ship is larger than a boat and built for deep-sea travel, often on long routes. Ferry names a specific kind of boat or ship that runs a regular back-and-forth service on a fixed route — such as a river crossing or a short sea passage. Barge, by contrast, is a flat-bottomed boat designed mainly for carrying heavy goods on canals or rivers, and it rarely carries passengers. Unlike a ferry, a barge has no set timetable and is usually towed. So while you might take a ferry across a harbour, you would not call that vessel a barge. If the route covers open sea, ferry and ship may overlap — for example, car ferries across the English Channel are large enough to be called ships.

boat ↗ship ↗barge ↗ferry ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • passengers
  • cars
  • vehicles
  • goods
  • supplies

Adverbs

Phrases

  • by ferry
  • take a ferry
  • catch the ferry
  • ferry service
  • ferry crossing

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishProto-GermanicEnglish

Ferry comes from the Old English word ferian, meaning 'to carry or convey'. This verb traces back to the Proto-Germanic farjaną, related to the idea of travelling or going on a journey. The noun form — the vessel itself — emerged later from the verb, so a ferry is literally 'that which carries' people or goods across water. The same ancient root also gave English the word fare (the money you pay to travel).