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Synonyms

dry out

British  

verb

  1. to make or become dry

  2. to undergo or cause to undergo treatment for alcoholism or drug addiction

"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
dry out Idioms  

  1. Undergo a cure for alcoholism, as in After years of constant drinking, he realized that he needed to dry out. [1960s]

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.

The persistent heat will dry out vegetation and increase the chance of fires in grass-dominated areas that greened up after the plentiful rains this winter.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2026

If conditions become drier, peat soils may dry out more frequently and for longer periods.

From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026

Combined with the warm weather helping to dry out the soils, this lack of rainfall pushed large parts of the country towards drought.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2025

And the earlier the snow melts, the more time plants and soils have to dry out in the summer heat, priming the landscape for large wildfires, Schwartz said.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

The ride in the helicopter had begun to dry out Tally’s clothing, and the hike had done the rest.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

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.