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dry

dry

791 1.0
Not wet or without any liquid
  • adjective
  • /draɪ/
translation icon : seco
  • He applied lotion to his dry hands to restore moisture.
  • a dry season
  • wet and dry
  • dry soil

That cake was just dry, dry, dry, dry.

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Examples

  • The air is dry.

  • It doesn't look too horrible on my dry spots on my forehead.

  • Your clothes will be dry now.

  • Know that I'm left with a dry throat.

  • And very dry.

  • Very dry.

  • Her fingers were busily removing dry leaves and twigs at the last minute.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Patients describe their cough in a variety of ways, such as dry, chesty, phlegmy, occasional, or persistent.

    Academic text (2011)
  • After the rain, the ground is finally dry enough to walk on.

  • The climate here is very dry, making it hard to grow many plants.

Synonyms

dried-up
vsdry
18 3.5

No longer holds water and is very dry, like a riverbed or plant

can mean not wet without implying loss of freshness
dried-out
vsdry
8 2.8

Completely dry because it has no water left

is less strong, meaning simply not wet or damp
bone-dry
vsdry
1 3.4

Completely dry with no moisture

is a neutral concept that allows lesser or partial absence of moisture
dried
vsdry
1 1.0

Something that is no longer wet because its water has gone away

is the general word for being without moisture
desiccated
vsdry
  • Specialized
7.2

Completely dried so it has no water left

is the everyday term rather than a technical removal process

Antonyms

11 1.0

A slight wetness in the air or on surfaces

wet
1 1.0

A place or thing covered with liquid

Idioms

high and dry
  • Informal
15 6.3

Someone has no help or basic things in a difficult situation

3 7.8

To do something very boring and slow

home and dry
  • Informal
1 5.8

Someone has finished something safely and is not likely to fail

8.9

A person who lacks experience and maturity in new situations

Very boring and hard to pay attention to

A stream or river that flows very little because it is dry

Compounds

45 2.5

Cleaning clothes or fabrics using a special liquid instead of water

24 1.6

A person or shop that cleans clothes with chemicals instead of water

23 1.0

The solid ground on Earth that is not under the sea

19 1.5

A shop that cleans clothes without using water

dry ice
  • Specialized
19 3.9

A very cold solid made from carbon dioxide used to keep things frozen and make white fog

15 3.6

A period with little or no rain that can mean a time without success

11 2.8

A period with very little rain in tropical areas

8 4.1

A practice session before an event to check for problems

dry mouth
  • Specialized
7 3.2

A dry feeling in the mouth when you do not make enough saliva

5 3.2

Completely dry with no water left

dry dock
  • Specialized
4 6.1

A place where workers empty the water so they can build or fix a ship's bottom

dry rot
  • Specialized
3 6.3

A serious fungus that makes wood dry, crumbly and weak

dry hole
  • Jargon
3 7.7

An attempt that has no result, like a well that finds no oil

1 4.1

Clear and simple, not likely to change

dry eye
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A problem when the eyes do not make enough tears and feel uncomfortable

1 5.3

Jokes said in a serious, calm voice so they sound like real statements

1 3.4

Completely dry with no moisture

1 4.7

Low bushes or plants that grow close to the ground in dry areas

1 1.0

A breakfast food like flakes or puffs you eat with milk without cooking

dry fly
  • Specialized
1 6.7

A small fake insect that floats on the water to attract fish

1 3.7

Able to dry when hung up after washing without needing ironing

1 2.5

A hard plain baked snack with little moisture or taste

dry brush
  • Specialized
1 5.1

A way of painting that uses very little paint to make a rough, scratchy texture

dry cell
  • Specialized
1 4.0

A small battery with a moist paste inside that gives power to devices like a flashlight

1 2.5

Powder made from the small seeds of a plant used to add strong taste to food

An area of land with little water and few plants

1 2.4

Powdered milk you get by removing water from milk so it lasts a long time

1 2.8

Snow that has little or no water and does not stick together

dry-gulching
  • Offensive
1 9.9

An attack in which someone hides and kills another person by surprise in a lonely place

1 5.9

A pale, slightly bitter wine flavored with herbs and used in cocktails

1 8.2

A dry stream bed that fills with water quickly after heavy rain in a desert

A wall made of stones fitted together without mortar

1 4.0

A wine or drink that is not sweet and is only slightly dry

4.1

A brush with stiff hairs used on dry skin to remove dead skin and help blood flow

dry battery
  • Specialized
3.4

A small source of electricity used in devices like radios or flashlights that has no liquid

2.0

A tool with a dry soft head used to remove dust from floors without water

dry nurse
  • Archaic
8.2

A woman who cares for a baby but does not breastfeed it

dry pint
  • Specialized
6.6

A US unit for measuring dry food and goods equal to about 550 millilitres

9.9

A way to make photographs on glass plates with a thin light-sensitive layer

dry plate
  • Archaic
9.9

A glass plate with a light-sensitive coating used by early photographers

dry point
  • Specialized
9.5

A steel needle used to engrave a copper plate directly without acid

dry point
  • Specialized
8.9

A print made by scratching a metal plate with a hard needle to make dark, soft lines

dry quart
  • Specialized
7.2

A US measure for dry goods equal to two dry pints, about 1.1 liters

dry gangrene
  • Specialized
8.3

Dead skin and flesh that become dry and dark when blood flow stops, often in a toe or foot

dry kiln
  • Specialized
7.5

A heated oven that removes water from wood for building or furniture

8.9

A clear, bright light that makes sharp shadows and shows details without glare

dry masonry
  • Specialized
7.5

A way of building walls by laying stones together without mortar

dry measure
  • Specialized
6.8

A unit for measuring how much space dry goods like grain or fruit take

dry socket
  • Specialized
8.9

Severe pain in the empty hole after a tooth is removed when the blood clot falls out

dry unit
  • Specialized
7.0

A unit for measuring dry goods like grain or fruit

dry walling
  • Specialized
6.8

Building stone walls by fitting stones together without mortar

dry walling
  • Specialized
3.4

Fixing flat wall panels to make inside walls and ceilings

dry wall
  • Specialized
5.6

A low stone wall made by fitting stones together without cement

dry-bulb thermometer
  • Specialized
6.5

A device that measures air temperature with a dry bulb

9.9

To keep your feet or shoes dry when crossing wet ground

dry-wood termite
  • Specialized
8.1

A small insect that lives in and eats dry wood not touching the ground

air-dry
  • Specialized
4.1

Dry enough that it does not give off water when left in the air

floating dry dock
  • Specialized
6.8

A portable structure that sinks so a ship can enter and then lifts it out for repair

Powder made from milk with no fat that you mix with water

8.3

A unit used in the United States to measure dry things like grain

How Dry

arid
19 4.0
parched
13 4.7
dry
791 1.0
damp
11 1.0
wet
800 1.0

Surface Forms

dry positive
drier comparative
driest superlative

Etymology

Dry comes from an old English word drig meaning 'not wet'. So when something is dry it simply has little or no water or moisture.