dry
26 ENTRIES FOUND:
- dry (adjective)
- dry (verb)
- dry–clean (verb)
- dry–eyed (adjective)
- dry cell (noun)
- dry cleaner (noun)
- dry cleaning (noun)
- dry dock (noun)
- dry goods (noun)
- dry heaves (noun)
- dry ice (noun)
- dry land (noun)
- dry rot (noun)
- dry run (noun)
- air–dry (verb)
- drip–dry (verb)
- drip–dry (adjective)
- freeze–dry (verb)
- tumble dry (verb)
- blow–dryer (noun)
- cut–and–dried (adjective)
- high (adverb)
- home (adverb)
- powder (noun)
- spin–dryer (noun)
- suck (verb)
drier;
driest
drier;
driest
Britannica Dictionary definition of DRY
[also more dry; most dry]
1
a
:
having no or very little water or liquid
-
a dry riverbed
-
Mix the dry ingredients first, then add the milk and eggs.
-
a cool, dry place
-
Wipe the surface dry. [=wipe the surface until it is dry]
-
The air is usually dry during the winter. [=there is very little moisture in the air]
-
the dry heat of the desert
-
We tried to stay/keep dry in the rain by standing under a tree.
-
The stream is usually (as) dry as a bone [=completely dry] this time of year.
-
The stream is bone dry.
b
:
no longer wet
-
Are the clothes dry yet?
-
The paint should be dry in a few hours.
2
:
having no rain or little rain
-
This has been an unusually dry summer. [=there has been little rain this summer]
-
a stretch of dry weather
-
a dry spell/season
-
a country with a very dry climate
-
This plant does well in dry conditions.
3
a
:
not having the usual or desired amount of moisture
-
My throat is dry.
-
My lips are dry.
-
dry, itchy skin
-
dry hair
-
The medication can cause dry mouth. [=a condition in which the inside of your mouth become very dry]
b
:
having the moisture removed by cooking or some other process
-
The chicken was dry and tasteless.
-
dry [=powdered] milk
4
:
not producing a wet substance
-
a dry cough [=a cough that does not produce any phlegm]
-
The baby stayed dry all night. [=the baby did not urinate all night]
-
His eyes were dry. [=there were no tears in his eyes]
◊ If there is not a dry eye in the house/room (etc.), everyone in a place is emotional or is affected deeply by something.
-
When the hero proclaimed his love for the heroine at the end of the play, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
5
:
no longer producing water, oil, etc.
— often used figuratively
-
a dry well
-
a dry oil well
-
The well went/ran dry.
-
(chiefly US) They drilled for oil but the well came up dry.
-
The author went through a dry [=unproductive] period and couldn't write anything.
-
The group stayed together despite several dry [=unsuccessful] years.
-
They went searching for clues but came up dry. [=came up empty]
6
:
served or eaten without butter, jam, etc.
-
a breakfast of dry toast and coffee
7
of wine, sherry, etc.
:
not sweet
-
a very dry red wine
-
dry sherry
8
:
not interesting, exciting, or emotional
-
The novel included several long, dry [=boring] passages.
-
His lectures were usually very dry.
9
:
funny or clever but expressed in a quiet or serious way
-
He has a very dry sense of humor.
-
a dry wit
10
a
:
not having or offering alcoholic beverages
b
:
not allowing alcoholic beverages
-
The college campus has been dry for 10 years.
-
a dry state/county [=a state/county where alcoholic beverages cannot be sold]
c
:
not drinking alcoholic beverages
-
He's been dry [=sober] for several years now.
high and dry
home and dry
keep your powder dry
milk/bleed/suck (someone or something) dry
informal
:
to take or use up everything from (someone or something)
-
He married her for her money and then bled her dry.
-
She milked the system dry.
— dryness
noun [noncount]
2
dry
/ˈdraɪ/
verb
dries;
dried;
drying
2
dry
/ˈdraɪ/
verb
dries;
dried;
drying
Britannica Dictionary definition of DRY
1
a
[+ object]
:
to remove water or moisture from (something or someone)
:
to make (something or someone) dry
-
I'll wash the dishes if you dry them.
-
Make sure you dry your hands.
-
He dried himself with the towel.
-
Stop crying and dry your eyes.
b
[no object]
:
to make plates, dishes, pots, etc., dry by rubbing them with a towel
-
I'll wash and you dry, okay?
2
[no object]
:
to become dry
—
see also air-dry, drip-dry, freeze-dry
-
Your shirt is drying on the clothesline.
-
The paint dried overnight.
dry off
[phrasal verb]
1
a
:
to become dry
-
My umbrella's drying off in the hall.
b
:
to make your body dry
-
We got out of the pool and dried off.
2
dry off (someone or something)
or
dry (someone or something) off
:
to make (someone or something) dry
-
He dried off the bench and sat down.
-
Dry yourself off and get dressed.
dry out
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to become dry
-
Water the plant every week; don't allow the soil to dry out completely.
2
dry out (something)
or
dry (something) out
:
to make (something) dry
-
The wind dries out my eyes.
-
Baking at a high temperature will dry the meat out.
-
We dried out our shoes near the fire.
3
informal
:
to stop using drugs or alcohol for a period of time especially by going to a special kind of hospital
-
After years of alcoholism, he went to a clinic to dry out.
dry up
[phrasal verb]
1
:
to become completely dry
-
The river/well is drying up.
-
The stream dries up every summer.
2
dry up (something)
or
dry (something) up
:
to make (something) dry
-
The sun had dried up the roads an hour after it stopped raining.
3
informal
:
to go away or disappear completely
-
Interest in the project dried up when he withdrew his support.
-
After several months, new leads in the murder investigation dried up.
4
dry up (something)
or
dry (something) up
:
to cause the supply of (something) to go away or disappear
-
Closing the factory dried up local job opportunities.
5
informal + impolite
— used as a command to tell someone to stop talking
-
Oh, dry up! [=shut up] I'm sick of hearing what you have to say.
-
He told her to dry up.
