dry run
Americannoun
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a rehearsal or practice exercise.
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Military. practice in firing arms without using live ammunition.
noun
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military practice in weapon firing, a drill, or a manoeuvre without using live ammunition
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informal a trial or practice, esp in simulated conditions; rehearsal
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dry run
An Americanism dating back to 1940–45
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.
But only a few of his movies carried much of a political message, notably his 1995 film “The American President,” written by Mr. Sorkin and a sort of dry run for his “The West Wing.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 15, 2025
The PGA Awards are often considered a dry run for the Oscars’ best picture race since the guild shares significant member overlap with the academy and uses the same preferential ballot to pick its winner.
From New York Times • Feb. 26, 2024
NBC had a dry run during the regular season when it aired a contest in December between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 15, 2024
Monday night’s NBA In-Season Tournament quarterfinal seemed like the perfect dry run.
From Seattle Times • Dec. 4, 2023
Even those who were years removed from their own day of glorious release were anxious to help with preparations as a kind of dry run.
From "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
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.
