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Synonyms

dry spell

American  

noun

  1. a prolonged period of dry weather.

  2. a period of little or no productivity or activity, low income, etc.

Etymology

Origin of dry spell

First recorded in 1885–90

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.

After intense winter rains, March brought heat and a dry spell.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Arsenal’s quest to end a two-decade dry spell hasn’t exactly been helped by one of the most neurotic fan bases in Europe.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

Big rain and snow could hit California around Christmastime, ending a long dry spell for the state.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2025

More English regions are expected to join the North West and Yorkshire in an official drought on Tuesday after yet another hot and dry spell of weather.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2025

They knew they could survive because the Dinka have weathered many a dry spell.

From "Lost Boy, Lost Girl" by John Bul Dau

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.