air-dry
Americanverb (used with or without object)
adjective
verb
Etymology
Origin of air-dry
First recorded in 1855–60
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.
See Examples For:
And that unopened brick of air-dry clay that’s taunting you?
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 23, 2026
"Always air-dry cushions, as a machine dryer tends to damage or shrink cushion cover materials."
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2022
I cut the cheese and and bolillos into strips, and let them air-dry for a couple of days, like Mami used to do.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 8, 2022
Let them air-dry for at least 30 minutes.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 28, 2022
Alaskan hunters know that the easiest way to preserve meat in the bush is to slice it into thin strips and then air-dry it on a makeshift rack.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
She leads nutrition education at the Feed Real Institute, an online certificate program founded in 2015 by Balaram, who also runs a company that sells air-dried dog treats like bull penis and rabbit feet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 28, 2026
Scouring the movie, I could only find one example of a cultural clash: a woman bringing in a load of air-dried laundry from the snow and struggling to fold a baby onesie that’s frozen stiff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2025
"This is because air-dried bitumen can be used unaltered as an adhesive, but loses its adhesive properties when such large proportions of ochre are added."
From Science Daily ● Feb. 21, 2024
Once masks are washed, they should be thrown in the dryer on the highest heat setting or air-dried.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2021
When that process was completed, the ship was slowly air-dried to remove any remaining moisture that had saturated the wood after having been immersed in seawater for so long.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
We involve him in air-drying clothes, and we explain why we must turn off the lights when we are done playing.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 5, 2023
The timbers were taken to an atmospherically controlled dry dock where they were sprayed with a mist of cold water, then water-soluble wax, before an air-drying process began.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2023
With a campaign dubbed “Flip the Switch,” the Netherlands’ government is urging showers of no more than five minutes, using sun shades and fans instead of air conditioning, and air-drying laundry.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources recommends cleaning feeders and birdbaths at least once a week with soap and water, disinfecting with a 10 percent bleach solution, rinsing well with water and then air-drying.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 24, 2021
The sink-rinsing and air-drying just isn’t the same as a good tumble in a machine.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
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.
