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Glite Dictionary
to dry out

to dry out

11 2.4
To become dry or make something no longer wet
  • phrasal verb
  • /draɪ aʊt/
translation icon : secar(se)
  • After the heavy rain, we left the towels to dry out in the sun.
  • let it dry out
  • dry out the skin
  • dry out quickly

It's like, it's like the oranges that people dry out on the radiators.

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Examples

  • Also, let the root ball dry out all the way and saturate it every time you water.

    Blog text (7)

  • We went back up to the hotel to dry out and warm up.

    Blog text (31)

  • So, why, do they dry out or something if you leave the box open?

    Tooth Fairy 2 (2012)

  • We needed to warm up, if not dry out completely.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • We have to give it a chance to dry out.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Glass Inc. keeps the doors open and fans running to dry out the office on Tuesday.

    Blog text (13)

  • And also because flights can really dry out your skin.

  • For some reason, the product kept drying out on the brush while I was working with it.

  • If you leave the lid off, however, it will dry out and prevent mold from growing on it.

    Blog text (13)

  • They have a tendency to dry out over a period of years.

Synonyms

to dry
vsto dry out
570 1.0

To become free of water or wetness

is the phrasal form used especially after something was wet
to dry up
vsto dry out
19 2.7

To lose all water or moisture so it has none left

is less extreme, covering partial or gradual moisture removal
to desiccate
vsto dry out
  • Specialized
12 9.0

To dry something so it does not go bad

is broader and does not focus specifically on preservation
to run dry
vsto dry out
7 3.7

To stop having any water, like a river or well

describes moisture loss or removal generally rather than ending supply
to dehydrate
vsto dry out
5 4.1

To lose too much water and become very dry

is more general, used for many kinds of making nonwet
to parch
vsto dry out
1 7.0

Make something very dry from heat or sun

is broader and not limited to heat or sunlight causes
to exsiccate
vsto dry out
  • Specialized
9.9

To remove all water from something so it stays dry

is a common expression that may not stress total removal
to spray-dry
vsto dry out
  • Specialized
7.5

To dry a liquid by making a fine spray that becomes powder when hot air hits it

is the general act of removing moisture, not a factory technique

How Dry

to desiccate
  • Specialized
12 9.0
to parch
1 7.0
to dry out
11 2.4
air-dry
  • Specialized
4.1

Surface Forms

dry out infinitive
dried out past
dried out past participle
drying out present participle
dries out third person singular

Morphology

dry + out

The meaning 'to become dry / make something dry' is directly derivable from combining 'dry' (remove moisture) with the particle 'out', which here signals completion or extent (fully dry). This resultative/compositional pattern is common in English and across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrasal verb dry out comes from the simple image of wet things losing water as the damp moves out of them and the item becomes dry. So, dry out means 'to become dry' or 'to make something dry'.