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to overdry

to overdry

1 5.4
To make something too dry by removing too much water
  • verb
  • /ˌoʊvərˈdraɪ/
translation icon : secar en exceso
  • Don't overdry the laundry!

Examples

  • Be careful not to overdry the vegetables; otherwise, they will lose their flavor and texture.

  • The artist warned that the paint would crack if it was allowed to overdry on the canvas.

  • If you overdry the bread in the oven, it will become hard and tasteless.

  • Be careful not to overdry your skin by using harsh soaps every day.

  • She overdried the herbs in the sun.

  • If you leave the clothes in the dryer too long, they will overdry and feel rough to the touch.

  • Using a high-heat setting can overdry your hair, leading to split ends and damage.

Synonyms

to desiccate
vsto overdry
  • Specialized
12 9.0

To dry something so it does not go bad

refers to making something too dry by removing extra moisture
to dehydrate
vsto overdry
5 4.1

To lose too much water and become very dry

expresses drying that goes beyond ordinary loss of moisture
to parch
vsto overdry
1 7.0

Make something very dry from heat or sun

causes excess dryness not only from heat but from any process
to exsiccate
vsto overdry
  • Specialized
9.9

To remove all water from something so it stays dry

causes excessive dryness beyond complete moisture removal

Antonyms

7 3.0

To make something a little wet

How Dry

to overdry
1 5.4
to desiccate
  • Specialized
12 9.0
to parch
1 7.0
to dry out
11 2.4
to dry
570 1.0

Surface Forms

overdry infinitive
overdried past
overdried past participle
overdrying present participle
overdries third person singular

Morphology

overdry = dry (transparent) = over + dry

The verb sense is a standard prefixation with 'over-' meaning 'excessively' applied to the verb 'dry', yielding 'to make excessively dry'.

Etymology

To overdry is to make something too dry, and the word is built from over- 'too much' plus dry 'without water'. Like overcook, which means to cook too long, to overdry is to remove too much moisture so the item becomes hard or damaged.