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dry
[ drahy ]
adjective
- free from moisture or excess moisture; not moist; not wet:
a dry towel; dry air.
Antonyms: wet
- having or characterized by little or no rain:
a dry climate; the dry season.
- characterized by absence, deficiency, or failure of natural or ordinary moisture.
- not under, in, or on water:
It was good to be on dry land.
- not now containing or yielding water or other liquid; depleted or empty of liquid:
The well is dry.
- not yielding milk:
a dry cow.
- free from tears:
dry eyes.
- drained or evaporated away:
a dry river.
- desiring drink; thirsty:
He was so dry he could hardly speak.
- causing thirst:
dry work.
- served or eaten without butter, jam, etc.:
dry toast.
- (of cooked food) lacking enough moisture or juice to be satisfying or succulent.
- (of bread and bakery products) stale.
- of or relating to nonliquid substances or commodities:
dry measure; dry provisions.
- (of wines) not sweet.
- (of a cocktail)
- made with dry vermouth:
a dry Manhattan.
- made with relatively little dry vermouth:
a dry martini.
- characterized by or favoring prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic liquors for use in beverages:
a dry state.
- (of British biscuits) not sweet.
- plain; bald; unadorned:
dry facts.
- dull; uninteresting:
a dry subject.
Synonyms: jejune, tiresome, boring, barren, tedious
Antonyms: interesting
- expressed in a straight-faced, matter-of-fact way:
dry humor.
- indifferent; cold; unemotional:
a dry answer.
- unproductive:
The greatest of artists have dry years.
- (of lumber) fully seasoned.
- Building Trades.
- (of masonry construction) built without fresh mortar or cement.
- (of a wall, ceiling, etc., in an interior) finished without the use of fresh plaster.
- Ceramics.
- insufficiently glazed.
- Art. hard and formal in outline, or lacking mellowness and warmth in color.
verb (used with object)
- to make dry; free from moisture:
to dry the dishes.
verb (used without object)
- to become dry; lose moisture.
Synonyms: dehydrate
noun
- a prohibitionist.
- a dry place, area, or region.
verb phrase
- to make or become completely dry.
- to undergo or cause to undergo detoxification from consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol.
- to make or become completely dry.
- to cease to exist; evaporate.
- Informal. to stop talking.
- (in acting) to forget one's lines or part.
dry
/ draɪ /
adjective
- lacking moisture; not damp or wet
- having little or no rainfall
- not in or under water
dry land
- having the water drained away or evaporated
a dry river
- not providing milk
a dry cow
- (of the eyes) free from tears
- in need of a drink; thirsty
- causing thirst
dry work
- eaten without butter, jam, etc
dry toast
- (of a wine, cider, etc) not sweet
- pathol not accompanied by or producing a mucous or watery discharge
a dry cough
- consisting of solid as opposed to liquid substances or commodities
- without adornment; plain
dry facts
- lacking interest or stimulation
a dry book
- lacking warmth or emotion; cold
a dry greeting
- (of wit or humour) shrewd and keen in an impersonal, sarcastic, or laconic way
- opposed to or prohibiting the sale of alcoholic liquor for human consumption
a dry area
- (of a ewe) without a lamb after the mating season
- electronics (of a soldered electrical joint) imperfect because the solder has not adhered to the metal, thus reducing conductance
verb
- whenintr, often foll by off to make or become dry or free from moisture
- tr to preserve (meat, vegetables, fruit, etc) by removing the moisture
noun
- informal.a Conservative politician who is considered to be a hard-liner Compare wet
- the dry informal.the dry season
- an informal word for prohibitionist
Derived Forms
- ˈdryness, noun
- ˈdryable, adjective
Other Words From
- drya·ble adjective
- dryly adverb
- dryness noun
- over·dry adjective
- over·dryly adverb
- over·dryness noun
- pre·dry verb (used with object) predried predrying
- re·dry verb redried redrying
- ultra·dry adjective
- under·dry verb (used with object) underdried underdrying
- un·dry adjective
- un·drya·ble adjective
Word History and Origins
Word History and Origins
Origin of dry1
Idioms and Phrases
- not dry behind the ears, immature; unsophisticated:
Adult responsibilities were forced on him, although he was still not dry behind the ears.
More idioms and phrases containing dry
- cut and dried
- hang out to dry
- high and dry
- keep one's powder dry
- well's run dry
Synonym Study
Example Sentences
My understanding was that according to most Christian beliefs, being trans or gay was a sin, cut and dry.
Fold the parchment paper with the dry ingredients in half and pour into the stand mixer.
Allow beans to cool completely then remove to a paper towel-lined plate to dry.
Even when he opens up, the sentences are wooden, the scenes sucked dry of emotion.
Extra dry, for example, is actually sweeter than brut, which is drier than demi-sec, which is somewhat sweet.
The tears came so fast to Mrs. Pontellier's eyes that the damp sleeve of her peignoir no longer served to dry them.
But Polavieja started his campaign with the immense advantage of having the whole of the dry season before him.
Their method of curing the leaves was to air-dry them and then packing them until wanted for use.
The smoke from her kitchen fire rose white as she put in dry sumac to give it a start.
Turn we our backs to the cold gloomy north, to the wet windy west, to the dry parching east—on to the south!
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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.
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