dry cleaning
Americannoun
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the cleaning of garments, fabrics, draperies, etc., with any of various chemicals rather than water.
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garments for cleaning in this way.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of dry cleaning
First recorded in 1810–20
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.
Chemicals are a good example: Global exports of tetrachloroethylene, used in dry cleaning, have risen 25-fold since 2019.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
Most Silicon Valley companies at the time lavished their top engineering talent with free lunches, on-site dry cleaning, nap pods and other luxury amenities.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 4, 2026
Across the street, Hajji watched from his empty dry cleaning shop as the road cleared.
From Barron's • Mar. 7, 2026
Prices for personal services, such as dry cleaning and haircuts, rose 1.6%.
From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026
I answered phones and made plasticene overheads and picked up dry cleaning and kids from day care.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
