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ferryboat

ferryboat

3 2.6
A boat that carries people and cars across water on a regular route
  • noun
  • /ˈfɛriˌboʊt/
translation icon : ferry
  • We boarded the ferryboat that would carry us to the other side of the lake.
  • ferryboat captain
  • an old ferryboat
  • ferryboat crossing

Examples

  • Domestic flights are available to the majority of the islands, but ferryboat fares are much cheaper, and you get a pleasant cruise in the bargain.

    Academic text (1999)
  • Families often rely on the ferryboat to transport their cars to the island.

  • What does he think of this ferryboat trip?

  • A trip down Blood Alley in a ferryboat is no Sunday excursion.

  • At fifteen minutes past nine, the nose of the ferryboat from Oakland touches the San Francisco wharf.

    Blog text (22)
  • On 14 December 1999, Ahmed Ressam tried to enter the U.S. by ferryboat from Victoria Island, British Columbia.

    Blog text (34)
  • Buffeted by the wind and waves, the ferryboat thudded dully against the side of the pier.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • When you approach Ios by ferryboat, the windmills are not visible, and when you disembark at the port, there are no windmills to be seen.

    Academic text (2006)
  • Ferryboats regularly ply the waters from Piraeus to the islands and vice versa.

    Academic text (1999)
  • The ferryboat takes passengers across the river every twenty minutes.

Synonyms

boat
vsferryboat
1.0

A small vehicle used on water to carry people, like a rowboat or motorboat

is used commercially to carry passengers or vehicles on set routes
vessel
vsferryboat
698 3.3

A large boat or ship used for travel on water

is narrower, focusing on regular crossings for people or vehicles
ferry
vsferryboat
137 1.3

A boat or ship that carries people, cars, and goods across water on a regular schedule

is the traditional word for the same scheduled crossings
watercraft
vsferryboat
4 3.9

A boat or ship that carries people and things on water

is specifically for scheduled crossings carrying people or vehicles
car-ferry
vsferryboat
1 2.7

A boat that carries cars and other vehicles across water

also serves to carry passengers as well as vehicles on set routes

How Difficult

ferryboat
3 2.6
fording
1 6.9
to bridge
4 3.1

Surface Forms

ferryboat singular
ferryboats plural

Morphology

ferryboat = ferry + boat (transparent) = ferry + boat

Meaning is directly the combination of 'ferry' and 'boat'—a boat used as a ferry—readily inferable by learners.

Etymology

Ferryboat is very literal: ferry comes from old words meaning 'to carry' or 'to travel', so a ferryboat is simply a boat that carries people or cars across the water.