drying
Americanadjective
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causing dryness.
a drying breeze.
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designed to become or capable of becoming dry and hard on exposure to air.
noun
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the action or process of making or becoming dry
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Also called (not now in technical usage): seasoning. the processing of timber until it has a moisture content suitable for the purposes for which it is to be used
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of drying
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at dry, -ing 2
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.
In a standard triple-wash system, cut lettuce moves through a series of flumes filled with treated water before spin drying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Lake drying is not unusual in Australia, where long periods of low rainfall can cause water levels to fall dramatically.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
There are more than a million Rohingyas living in over-crowded camps in southern Bangladesh, where aid is drying up, there are almost no jobs, and organised crime gangs operate freely.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
The source of the Colorado River in the Rocky Mountains is drying up, threatening a critical water lifeline for about 35 million people and 5 million acres of farmland across the Southwest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
There was the crunching of footsteps, the shuffling of drying husks.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
