drip-dry

[ adjective, noun drip-drahy; verb drip-drahy, -drahy ]

adjective

wash-and-wear.

verb (used without object),drip-dried, drip-dry·ing.

(of a cloth item) to dry into a desired form and shape when hung dripping wet after washing.

verb (used with object),drip-dried, drip-dry·ing.

to hang (a cloth item) after washing while it is dripping wet and allow it to dry, especially in anticipation of its assuming its desired form and shape during the drying process.

noun,plural drip-dries.

a garment or other cloth item that can be washed and drip-dried.

Origin of drip-dry

First recorded in 1950–55

Words Nearby drip-dry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use drip-dry in a sentence

Special attention to crevices—probably they use a hose now, drip dry, automatic wash for bulk processing.
Men of Steel | Taylor Antrim | February 24, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
Hang up to drip dry, or wind tightly around a bottle and leave to dry.
Make Your Own Hats | Gene Allen Martin
Throwing off his waterproof outer garments, he left them to drip dry in the kitchen.
An Orkney Maid | Amelia Edith Huddleston Barr

British Dictionary definitions for drip-dry

drip-dry

adjective

designating clothing or a fabric that will dry relatively free of creases if hung up when wet

verb-dries, -drying or -dried

to dry or become dry thus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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