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.
Use of glyphosate as a pre-harvest drying agent was banned in the EU in 2023, and campaigners are now calling on the UK government to do the same.
From BBC • May 6, 2026
Traditionally, scientists have focused on environments such as drying pools on land or hydrothermal vents in the deep ocean as likely settings for the origin of life.
From Science Daily • Apr. 29, 2026
“Because that is what we want. But we don’t invest in staff because we have a shortage. ... We can’t have joy and wellness if your people are drying on the vine because they’re exhausted.”
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 18, 2026
The artificial intelligence gold rush is rapidly drying up the supply of the one resource that AI developers can’t do without: computing power.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026
He crossed to Anya without drying his face off, wet hand out and dripping on the wood floor.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
