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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.

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

From Science Daily • Feb. 24, 2026

Because the ground is not getting time to dry out between systems, even moderate amounts of rainfall are causing further flooding and disruption.

From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026

“If we were to transition into a dry spell, it does not take very long for those green and brown grasses to dry out completely.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2026

Don’t let your plants dry out or sit in water, because that will suffocate the roots.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 20, 2025

The chimney was warm behind me, but it wasn’t enough to actually dry out my blanket or drive away the chilly damp that soaked my clothes.

From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss

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.