dry

[ drahy ]

/ draɪ /

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See synonyms for: dry / dried / drys / dryness on Thesaurus.com

adjective, dri·er

[drahy-er], /ˈdraɪ ər/, dri·est

[drahy-ist]. /ˈdraɪ ɪst/.

free from moisture or excess moisture; not moist; not wet: a dry towel; dry air.

having or characterized by little or no rain: a dry climate; the dry season.

characterized by absence, deficiency, or failure of natural or ordinary moisture.

not under, in, or on water: It was good to be on dry land.

not now containing or yielding water or other liquid; depleted or empty of liquid: The well is dry.

not yielding milk: a dry cow.

free from tears: dry eyes.

drained or evaporated away: a dry river.

desiring drink; thirsty: He was so dry he could hardly speak.

causing thirst: dry work.

served or eaten without butter, jam, etc.: dry toast.

(of cooked food) lacking enough moisture or juice to be satisfying or succulent.

(of bread and bakery products) stale.

of or relating to nonliquid substances or commodities: dry measure; dry provisions.

(of wines) not sweet.

(of a cocktail)

made with dry vermouth: a dry Manhattan.
made with relatively little dry vermouth: a dry martini.

characterized by or favoring prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic liquors for use in beverages: a dry state.

(of British biscuits) not sweet.

plain; bald; unadorned: dry facts.

dull; uninteresting: a dry subject.

expressed in a straight-faced, matter-of-fact way: dry humor.

indifferent; cold; unemotional: a dry answer.

unproductive: The greatest of artists have dry years.

(of lumber) fully seasoned.

Building Trades.

(of masonry construction) built without fresh mortar or cement.
(of a wall, ceiling, etc., in an interior) finished without the use of fresh plaster.

Ceramics.

unglazed.
insufficiently glazed.

Art. hard and formal in outline, or lacking mellowness and warmth in color.

verb (used with object), dried, dry·ing.

to make dry; free from moisture: to dry the dishes.

verb (used without object), dried, dry·ing.

to become dry; lose moisture.

noun, plural drys, dries

[drahyz]. /draɪz/.

a prohibitionist.

a dry place, area, or region.

Verb Phrases

dry out,

to make or become completely dry.
to undergo or cause to undergo detoxification from consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol.

dry up,

to make or become completely dry.
to cease to exist; evaporate.
Informal. to stop talking.
(in acting) to forget one's lines or part.

OTHER WORDS FOR dry

20 tedious, barren, boring, tiresome, jejune.

29 dehydrate.

See synonyms for dry on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR dry

1 wet.

20 interesting.

See antonyms for dry on Thesaurus.com

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Question 1 of 7

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about dry

not dry behind the ears, immature; unsophisticated: Adult responsibilities were forced on him, although he was still not dry behind the ears.

Origin of dry

First recorded before 900; Middle English drie, Old English drȳge; akin to Dutch droog, German trocken; see drought

synonym study for dry

1. Dry, arid both mean without moisture. Dry is the general word indicating absence of water or freedom from moisture: a dry well; dry clothes. Arid suggests great or intense dryness in a region or climate, especially such as results in bareness or in barrenness: arid tracts of desert. 28. See evaporate.

OTHER WORDS FROM dry

dry·a·ble, adjectivedryly, adverbdryness, nouno·ver·dry, adjective

o·ver·dry·ly, adverbo·ver·dry·ness, nounpre·dry, verb (used with object), pre·dried, pre·dry·ing.re·dry, verb, re·dried, re·dry·ing.ul·tra·dry, adjectiveun·der·dry, verb (used with object), un·der·dried, un·der·dry·ing.un·dry, adjectiveun·dry·a·ble, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use dry in a sentence

Yes, good waterproof boots will work—especially if you want to save all your toes—but keeping those appendages both dry and toasty will make you happy.
The hottest gifts to buy for the friend who’s always cold|Sandra Gutierrez G.|November 20, 2020|Popular-Science
A few years ago, he offered this Xtra Brut, a slightly drier version.
Food-friendly wines to pair with your Thanksgiving dishes|Dave McIntyre|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
There are pieces of income that are totally dried up because we’ve been closed for so many months.
Plight at the Museum|Jen Trolio|November 20, 2020|Vox
Before assembly, be sure to dry-fit the pieces of your door to make sure everything lines up.
Build your own door and ascend to a higher level of DIY|Courtney Starr|November 20, 2020|Popular-Science

Dew points in the wintry 20s mean very dry air, so you may need to get the moisturizer back out.
D.C.-area forecast: Mainly clear skies plus warmer temperatures today and tomorrow|A. Camden Walker|November 20, 2020|Washington Post
Strong fennel and wormwood hit the back of my tongue along with a dryness from the barrel and hints of citrus from the chamomile.
The Absinthe-Minded Porteños of Buenos Aires|Jeff Campagna|March 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Those are related: More cheese would have hidden the dryness.
Iron Chef Hits the U.S. Open|Masaharu Morimoto|September 8, 2009|DAILY BEAST
This evaporation of the sea water is proportional to the temperature and to the dryness of the air where it rests upon the ocean.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Jim knew of a cabin where he promised them they could spend the night in comparative dryness and warmth.
The Adventure Girls at K Bar O|Clair Blank
When we are speaking of celebrated places, the reader must endure with patience the dryness of such geographical descriptions.
The Geography of Strabo, Volume III (of 3)|Strabo
This filtrate was evaporated to dryness under diminished pressure to remove alcohol, water, and acetic acid.
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron)|William Anderson Syme
The remainder of the solution was evaporated to dryness, extracted with water, filtered, and again evaporated.
Some Constituents of the Poison Ivy Plant: (Rhus Toxicodendron)|William Anderson Syme

British Dictionary definitions for dry

dry

/ (draɪ) /

adjective drier, driest, dryer or dryest

lacking moisture; not damp or wet

having little or no rainfall

not in or under waterdry land

having the water drained away or evaporateda dry river

not providing milka dry cow

(of the eyes) free from tears

informal in need of a drink; thirsty
causing thirstdry work

eaten without butter, jam, etcdry toast

(of a wine, cider, etc) not sweet

pathol not accompanied by or producing a mucous or watery dischargea dry cough

consisting of solid as opposed to liquid substances or commodities

without adornment; plaindry facts

lacking interest or stimulationa dry book

lacking warmth or emotion; colda dry greeting

(of wit or humour) shrewd and keen in an impersonal, sarcastic, or laconic way

opposed to or prohibiting the sale of alcoholic liquor for human consumptiona dry area

NZ (of a ewe) without a lamb after the mating season

electronics (of a soldered electrical joint) imperfect because the solder has not adhered to the metal, thus reducing conductance

verb dries, drying or dried

(when intr, often foll by off) to make or become dry or free from moisture

(tr) to preserve (meat, vegetables, fruit, etc) by removing the moisture

noun plural drys or dries

British informal a Conservative politician who is considered to be a hard-linerCompare wet (def. 10)

the dry Australian informal the dry season

US and Canadian an informal word for prohibitionist

Derived forms of dry

dryable, adjectivedryness, noun

Word Origin for dry

Old English drӯge; related to Old High German truckan, Old Norse draugr dry wood

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with dry

dry

In addition to the idioms beginning with dry

dry as dust
dry behind the ears
dry out
dry run
dry up

also see:

cut and dried
hang out to dry
high and dry
keep one's powder dry
well's run dry