dry
Americanadjective
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free from moisture or excess moisture; not moist; not wet.
a dry towel; dry air.
- Antonyms:
- wet
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having or characterized by little or no rain.
a dry climate; the dry season.
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characterized by absence, deficiency, or failure of natural or ordinary moisture.
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not under, in, or on water.
It was good to be on dry land.
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not now containing or yielding water or other liquid; depleted or empty of liquid.
The well is dry.
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not yielding milk.
a dry cow.
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free from tears.
dry eyes.
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drained or evaporated away.
a dry river.
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desiring drink; thirsty.
He was so dry he could hardly speak.
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causing thirst.
dry work.
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served or eaten without butter, jam, etc..
dry toast.
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(of cooked food) lacking enough moisture or juice to be satisfying or succulent.
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(of bread and bakery products) stale.
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of or relating to nonliquid substances or commodities.
dry measure; dry provisions.
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(of wines) not sweet.
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(of a cocktail)
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made with dry vermouth.
a dry Manhattan.
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made with relatively little dry vermouth.
a dry martini.
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characterized by or favoring prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic liquors for use in beverages.
a dry state.
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(of British biscuits) not sweet.
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plain; bald; unadorned.
dry facts.
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dull; uninteresting.
a dry subject.
- Antonyms:
- interesting
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expressed in a straight-faced, matter-of-fact way.
dry humor.
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indifferent; cold; unemotional.
a dry answer.
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unproductive.
The greatest of artists have dry years.
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(of lumber) fully seasoned.
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Building Trades.
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(of masonry construction) built without fresh mortar or cement.
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(of a wall, ceiling, etc., in an interior) finished without the use of fresh plaster.
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Ceramics.
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insufficiently glazed.
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Art. hard and formal in outline, or lacking mellowness and warmth in color.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a prohibitionist.
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a dry place, area, or region.
verb phrase
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dry out
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to make or become completely dry.
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to undergo or cause to undergo detoxification from consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol.
-
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dry up
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to make or become completely dry.
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to cease to exist; evaporate.
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Informal. to stop talking.
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(in acting) to forget one's lines or part.
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idioms
adjective
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lacking moisture; not damp or wet
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having little or no rainfall
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not in or under water
dry land
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having the water drained away or evaporated
a dry river
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not providing milk
a dry cow
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(of the eyes) free from tears
-
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informal in need of a drink; thirsty
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causing thirst
dry work
-
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eaten without butter, jam, etc
dry toast
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(of a wine, cider, etc) not sweet
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pathol not accompanied by or producing a mucous or watery discharge
a dry cough
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consisting of solid as opposed to liquid substances or commodities
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without adornment; plain
dry facts
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lacking interest or stimulation
a dry book
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lacking warmth or emotion; cold
a dry greeting
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(of wit or humour) shrewd and keen in an impersonal, sarcastic, or laconic way
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opposed to or prohibiting the sale of alcoholic liquor for human consumption
a dry area
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(of a ewe) without a lamb after the mating season
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electronics (of a soldered electrical joint) imperfect because the solder has not adhered to the metal, thus reducing conductance
verb
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to make or become dry or free from moisture
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(tr) to preserve (meat, vegetables, fruit, etc) by removing the moisture
noun
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informal a Conservative politician who is considered to be a hard-liner Compare wet
-
informal the dry season
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an informal word for prohibitionist
Synonym Usage
Dry, arid both mean without moisture. Dry is the general word indicating absence of water or freedom from moisture: a dry well; dry clothes. Arid suggests great or intense dryness in a region or climate, especially such as results in bareness or in barrenness: arid tracts of desert. See evaporate.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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drynessnoun
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overdrynessnoun
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redryverb
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dryableadjective
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overdryadjective
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ultradryadjective
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undryadjective
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undryableadjective
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drylyadverb
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overdrylyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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drysimple
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driessimple
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have driedperfect
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has driedperfect
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am dryingprogressive
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are dryingprogressive
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is dryingprogressive
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have been dryingperfect progressive
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has been dryingperfect progressive
Past
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driedsimple
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had driedperfect
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was dryingprogressive
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were dryingprogressive
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had been dryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of dry
First recorded before 900; Middle English drie, Old English drȳge; akin to Dutch droog, German trocken; see drought
Explanation
Things that are dry lack moisture. A desert or a dessert can be dry. If your eyes are dry, you’ve stopped crying. It’s also a flavor that means the opposite of sweet. The Sahara Desert and crumbly chocolate cake are both dry. Dry is also a verb — when you paint your kitchen, you have to wait for the first coat to dry before you can add another. If someone says you have a dry sense of humor, they mean that you have a subtle style, keeping a straight face even when you say something outrageous.
Vocabulary lists containing dry
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Dry ground heats up faster than moist ground because less energy is used for evaporation and more goes directly into raising temperature.
From BBC • May 28, 2026
Dry direct seeding is an alternative, and deadlines for that extend until June.
From Barron's • May 8, 2026
Dry soils can absorb large amounts of snowmelt before it ever reaches streams, while groundwater losses across the basin have surged in recent decades.
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
Dry spices scattered into cream taste dusty; spices warmed in fat become aromatic, expansive.
From Salon • Apr. 7, 2026
Dry and fed, Ralph settled himself in front of the telephone.
From "Typical American" by Gish Jen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
