noun.
A boat used to ferry passengers, vehicles, or goods.
The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
noun.
A vessel or boat moved by steam, sails, oars or sweeps, a towline, or the force of a current, used to convey passengers, vehicles, cattle, etc., across a river, harbor, or other contracted waterway between opposite shores.
the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
noun.
A vessel for conveying passengers, merchandise, etc., usually across streams, rivers, bays, and other narrow waters.