dry run

American  

noun

1. a rehearsal or practice exercise.

2. Military. practice in firing arms without using live ammunition.

---

dry run British  

noun

1. military practice in weapon firing, a drill, or a manoeuvre without using live ammunition

2. informal a trial or practice, esp in simulated conditions; rehearsal

---

dry run Idioms  

1. A trial exercise or rehearsal, as in Regard this as a dry run for tonight's ceremony. This term, using dry in the sense of “unproductive,” was at first employed mainly in the military for simulated bombings in which no bombs were dropped. [c. 1940]

---

Other Word Forms

• dry-run
  adjective

---

Etymology

Origin of dry run

An Americanism dating back to 1940–45

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dry run

But only a few of his movies carried much of a political message, notably his 1995 film “The American President,” written by Mr. Sorkin and a sort of dry run for his “The West Wing.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 15, 2025

Much of the build-up to both of England's recent games against New Zealand was if it was a dry run for next year's Rugby World Cup final.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2024

The PGA Awards are often considered a dry run for the Oscars’ best picture race since the guild shares significant member overlap with the academy and uses the same preferential ballot to pick its winner.

From New York Times ● Feb. 26, 2024

NBC had a dry run during the regular season when it aired a contest in December between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2024

Unlike on my Pathfinder trip, I have to take vital life support elements out of the Hab if I'm going to do a real dry run.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• dress rehearsal
• tryout

---