# dry

Pronunciation: US/AUS say "DRY" /dɹaɪ/; UK

## Adjective

1. Free from moisture or water; not wet or damp, including (in chemistry) containing no water at all.
   - Simple: Not wet or damp, with no water in it.
   - _After a week of sun, the riverbed was completely dry._
   - _Store the seeds somewhere dry to keep them from molding._
3. Of a place, period, climate, or spell of weather, getting scarcely any rain or none at all.
   - Simple: Having little or no rain, used about weather, a place, or a period of time.
   - _The region's dry climate makes it ideal for growing grapes without much risk of rot._
   - _Forecasters expect the driest spring in decades, with almost no rain until June._
4. Carried out without the water, oil, or other liquid a process normally uses, as in roasting, shaving, or machining.
   - Simple: Done without the water, oil, or other liquid that is usually used, for example when shaving or cooking.
   - _The factory switched to dry machining to cut out the cost and mess of coolant._
   - _Dry roasting the cumin seeds without any oil brings out a deeper, nuttier flavor._
5. Low in sugar and not sweet, as a wine or other beverage.
   - Simple: Not sweet, with little or no sugar.
   - _The sommelier recommended a crisp, dry white._
   - _A dry champagne pairs well with salty appetizers._
10. Amusing in an understated way, delivered without any show of amusement.
   - Simple: Funny in a calm, serious way, without smiling or laughing.
   - _His dry wit landed best when his expression stayed flat._
   - _She delivered the punchline in a dry tone that made it funnier._
6. Plain and without decoration or liveliness, and so dull or uninteresting.
   - Simple: Plain and not lively, so it feels boring, as in 'a dry report'.
   - _The textbook's dry prose made the subject feel lifeless._
   - _Her presentation was dry, with no spark to hold anyone's attention._
11. Without alcohol: of a person, no longer drinking it; of an event, not serving it; or of an area, where selling it is banned by law.
   - Simple: With no alcohol, as in a dry wedding or a dry county, or of a person, not drinking any.
   - _Several dry counties still prohibit liquor sales entirely._
   - _The county remained dry for decades after Prohibition ended._
12. Unable to produce a liquid such as water, oil, or milk.
   - Simple: Not able to give any liquid, like water, oil, or milk.
   - _After years of pumping, the well finally ran dry._
   - _Drillers abandoned the dry hole after finding no oil._
13. Of a person or business, going through a period without work, income, or activity.
   - Simple: Going through a time with no work or little happening.
   - _The freelancer had been dry for weeks, with no new contracts coming in._
   - _After the factory closed, the town's restaurants went through a long dry spell, with half-empty tables most nights._
14. Lacking something that is usually added or involved, as toast without butter, or a run-through done only for practice.
   - Simple: Without something that is usually added or involved, like toast with no butter or a practice run.
   - _Still feeling queasy, he managed only a few bites of dry toast and some weak tea._
   - _The night before the wedding, we held a dry run of the ceremony, with no guests and no music, just to practice where everyone would stand._
16. Of recorded sound, left without added effects, especially reverb.
   - Simple: Recorded with no added sound effects, like echo or reverb.
   - _The producer preferred a dry mix so each instrument stayed clear._
   - _A dry vocal take leaves room to apply reverb in post-production._
17. Of a wall or structure: built by fitting stones together without mortar.
   - Simple: Describes a wall made of stones stacked together with no cement or mortar.
   - _Masons rebuilt the dry wall stone by stone, using no mortar at all._
   - _The shepherds' huts were built of dry masonry, each stone chosen to lock tightly against its neighbors without any mortar._
20. Of a venomous animal's bite: delivering no venom into the wound.
   - Simple: Describes a bite from a poisonous animal that puts no poison into the wound.
   - _The snake gave him a dry bite, so he needed no antivenom._
   - _Many defensive snake strikes are dry, injecting no venom at all._
21. Of scientific work: based on computation and modeling rather than hands-on biological or chemical experiments.
   - Simple: Describes science work done on computers instead of with real living things or chemicals.
   - _He runs the dry side of the lab, modeling proteins on the computer._
   - _Their research is mostly dry, relying on simulations rather than physical samples._
22. Of an artwork or style: precisely executed but lacking soft contours or gentle transitions of color.
   - Simple: Describes art that is sharp and exact, with no soft edges or gentle color blends.
   - _Critics found his early portraits dry, all hard edges and flat color._
   - _Her dry manner favored crisp outlines over blended shading._
23. Of a noodle or similar dish: served tossed with sauce rather than in broth. *(Malaysia, Singapore)*
   - Simple: Describes noodles or a similar dish served mixed with sauce, not in soup.
   - _She ordered the noodles dry, tossed in a spicy chili sauce._
   - _I prefer my wontons dry rather than floating in broth._
25. Thirsty; eager or keen for something. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Very thirsty, or strongly wanting something.
   - _By the end of the hike we were so dry that the first sip of water tasted better than anything._
   - _He came in from mowing the lawn in the August heat and said, "I'm so dry. Is there any cold lemonade left?"_
26. Of a cough: bringing nothing up, so that no phlegm or mucus comes from the lungs or throat.
   - Simple: Used about a cough that brings nothing up from your throat or lungs.
   - _The nurse asked whether the cough was dry or whether he was bringing up mucus._
   - _A hacking dry cough kept her up for most of the night after the flight._

## Verb

2. To remove moisture from something, or to lose moisture and become dry.
   - Simple: To make something dry, or to become dry, as in 'dry your hands' or 'the paint dried'.
   - _Use a soft cloth to dry the lens carefully._
   - _The machine dries wet grain before it goes into storage._
8. To exhaust something; to use it up until it runs dry.
   - Simple: To use something up completely until none is left.
   - _The long lawsuit dried up the firm's cash reserves within two years._
   - _Unchecked withdrawals could dry up the fund before the year is out._
19. To forget one's lines while performing on stage. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: To forget your lines while acting on stage.
   - _She dried halfway through the second act and stood frozen._
   - _Even seasoned actors dry under the glare of opening night._

## Noun

7. The process of removing moisture from something.
   - Simple: The act of making something not wet.
   - _After washing the car, she gave it a thorough dry with a soft towel to avoid streaks._
   - _The clothes needed a long dry on the line after the storm._
9. The part of the year with little or no rainfall, especially in tropical regions. *(Australia)*
   - Simple: The time of year when there is little or no rain.
   - _Farmers store water during the wet so they have enough through the dry._
   - _We crossed the outback in the dry, when the back roads were finally passable._
15. A pale, less sweet ginger ale, also called dry ginger ale, especially used as a mixer.
   - Simple: A pale, less sweet kind of ginger ale, often mixed into other drinks.
   - _The bartender topped the spirit with a generous splash of dry._
   - _She prefers her whisky with dry rather than soda._
18. A person who supports the legal prohibition of alcoholic drinks. *(US)*
   - Simple: A person who wants alcohol to be banned by law.
   - _The local dry campaigned tirelessly to shut down every saloon in the district._
   - _In the 1920s, drys and wets clashed over the future of Prohibition._
24. An area receiving little or no rain, or one sheltered from it.
   - Simple: A place with little or no rain, or one sheltered from the rain.
   - _Cattle gathered in the dry beneath the rocky overhang._
   - _The farmer hurried to get the hay bales into the dry before the thunderstorm arrived._

## Other meanings

- (adjective) Of a Mass or religious service: conducted without consecration or the giving of communion.
- (adjective) Of a jet engine or its thrust: operating without afterburners or water injection.
- (adjective) In poker, of a flop or board: offering few chances to complete strong hands or draws.
- (noun) A hard-line member of the British Conservative Party, especially a backer of Margaret Thatcher's free-market policies in the 1980s.

## Origin

The adjective and noun come from Middle English drye, from Old English drȳġe ("dry, parched, withered"), tracing back through Proto-Germanic *drūgiz ("dry, hard") to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to strengthen, become hard." The verb comes from Old English drȳġan ("to dry") along the same Germanic line. It is related to Dutch droog, German trocken, and to English drought and drain.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dry (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).