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• dry dock
  dry dock

  noun

  a structure able to contain a ship and to be drained or lifted so as to leave the ship free of water with all parts of the hull accessible for repairs, painting, etc.
• dry-dock
  dry-dock

  verb (used with object)

  to place (a ship) in a dry dock.

dry dock

¹ American  

noun

1. a structure able to contain a ship and to be drained or lifted so as to leave the ship free of water with all parts of the hull accessible for repairs, painting, etc.

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dry-dock ² American  

[drahy-dok] / ˈdraɪˌdɒk /

verb (used with object)

1. to place (a ship) in a dry dock.

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verb (used without object)

1. (of a ship) to go into a dry dock.

dry dock British  

noun

1. a basin-like structure that is large enough to admit a ship and that can be pumped dry for work on the ship's bottom

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verb

1. to put (a ship) into a dry dock, or (of a ship) to go into a dry dock

Etymology

Origin of dry dock¹

First recorded in 1620–30

Origin of dry-dock²

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

After a brief stay in a corporate dry dock, the pirate ship returned to the high seas.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 27, 2026

Growth should be driven by its new dry dock and four new vessels, including its commissioning service operation vessel in FY 2026, the analyst says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 23, 2025

HMS Unicorn, Scotland's oldest ship, has received a £796,000 grant toward the cost of moving it to a new dry dock.

From BBC • Jan. 24, 2025

Uranga said the next step is to lift the boat, which sank after the fire, and tow it to dry dock where a more thorough investigation can be undertaken.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2024

He saw a huge ship in a dry dock, workers scrambling to finish the hull, a guy with a blowtorch welding a bronze dragon figurehead to the prow.

From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan