dry

[drahy] /draɪ/
adjective, drier, driest.
1.
free from moisture or excess moisture; not moist; not wet:
a dry towel; dry air.
2.
having or characterized by little or no rain:
a dry climate; the dry season.
3.
characterized by absence, deficiency, or failure of natural or ordinary moisture.
4.
not under, in, or on water:
It was good to be on dry land.
5.
not now containing or yielding water or other liquid; depleted or empty of liquid:
The well is dry.
6.
not yielding milk:
a dry cow.
7.
free from tears:
dry eyes.
8.
drained or evaporated away:
a dry river.
9.
desiring drink; thirsty:
He was so dry he could hardly speak.
10.
causing thirst:
dry work.
11.
served or eaten without butter, jam, etc.:
dry toast.
12.
(of cooked food) lacking enough moisture or juice to be satisfying or succulent.
13.
(of bread and bakery products) stale.
14.
of or pertaining to nonliquid substances or commodities:
dry measure; dry provisions.
15.
(of wines) not sweet.
16.
  1. made with dry vermouth:
    a dry Manhattan.
  2. made with relatively little dry vermouth:
    a dry martini.
17.
characterized by or favoring prohibition of the manufacture and sale of alcoholic liquors for use in beverages:
a dry state.
18.
(of British biscuits) not sweet.
19.
plain; bald; unadorned:
dry facts.
20.
dull; uninteresting:
a dry subject.
21.
expressed in a straight-faced, matter-of-fact way:
dry humor.
22.
indifferent; cold; unemotional:
a dry answer.
23.
unproductive:
The greatest of artists have dry years.
24.
(of lumber) fully seasoned.
25.
Building Trades.
  1. (of masonry construction) built without fresh mortar or cement.
  2. (of a wall, ceiling, etc., in an interior) finished without the use of fresh plaster.
26.
Ceramics.
  1. unglazed.
  2. insufficiently glazed.
27.
Art. hard and formal in outline, or lacking mellowness and warmth in color.
verb (used with object), dried, drying.
28.
to make dry; free from moisture:
to dry the dishes.
verb (used without object), dried, drying.
29.
to become dry; lose moisture.
noun, plural drys, dries.
30.
a prohibitionist.
31.
a dry place, area, or region.
Verb phrases
32.
dry out,
  1. to make or become completely dry.
  2. to undergo or cause to undergo detoxification from consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol.
33.
dry up,
  1. to make or become completely dry.
  2. to cease to exist; evaporate.
  3. Informal. to stop talking.
  4. (in acting) to forget one's lines or part.
Idioms
34.
not dry behind the ears, immature; unsophisticated:
Adult responsibilities were forced on him, although he was still not dry behind the ears.
Origin
before 900; Middle English drie, Old English drȳge; akin to Dutch droog, German trocken; see drought
Related forms
dryable, adjective
dryly, adverb
dryness, noun
overdry, adjective
overdryly, adverb
overdryness, noun
predry, verb (used with object), predried, predrying.
redry, verb, redried, redrying.
ultradry, adjective
underdry, verb (used with object), underdried, underdrying.
undry, adjective
undryable, adjective
Synonyms
20. tedious, barren, boring, tiresome, jejune. 29. dehydrate.
Antonyms
1. wet. 20. interesting.
Synonym Study
1. Dry, arid both mean without moisture. Dry is the general word indicating absence of water or freedom from moisture: a dry well; dry clothes. Arid suggests great or intense dryness in a region or climate, especially such as results in bareness or in barrenness: arid tracts of desert. 28. See evaporate.
British Dictionary definitions for dry out

dry out

verb (adverb)
1.
to make or become dry
2.
to undergo or cause to undergo treatment for alcoholism or drug addiction

dry

/draɪ/
adjective drier, driest, dryer, dryest
1.
lacking moisture; not damp or wet
2.
having little or no rainfall
3.
not in or under water: dry land
4.
having the water drained away or evaporated: a dry river
5.
not providing milk: a dry cow
6.
(of the eyes) free from tears
7.
  1. (informal) in need of a drink; thirsty
  2. causing thirst: dry work
8.
eaten without butter, jam, etc: dry toast
9.
(of a wine, cider, etc) not sweet
10.
(pathol) not accompanied by or producing a mucous or watery discharge: a dry cough
11.
consisting of solid as opposed to liquid substances or commodities
12.
without adornment; plain: dry facts
13.
lacking interest or stimulation: a dry book
14.
lacking warmth or emotion; cold: a dry greeting
15.
(of wit or humour) shrewd and keen in an impersonal, sarcastic, or laconic way
16.
opposed to or prohibiting the sale of alcoholic liquor for human consumption: a dry area
17.
(NZ) (of a ewe) without a lamb after the mating season
18.
(electronics) (of a soldered electrical joint) imperfect because the solder has not adhered to the metal, thus reducing conductance
verb dries, drying, dried
19.
when intr, often foll by off. to make or become dry or free from moisture
20.
(transitive) to preserve (meat, vegetables, fruit, etc) by removing the moisture
noun (pl) drys, dries
21.
(Brit, informal) a Conservative politician who is considered to be a hard-liner Compare wet (sense 10)
22.
(Austral, informal) the dry, the dry season
23.
(US & Canadian) an informal word for prohibitionist
See also dry out, dry up
Derived Forms
dryable, adjective
dryness, noun
Word Origin
Old English drӯge; related to Old High German truckan, Old Norse draugr dry wood
Word Origin and History for dry out

dry

adj.

Old English dryge, from Proto-Germanic *draugiz (cf. Middle Low German dröge, Middle Dutch druge, Dutch droog, Old High German trucchon, German trocken, Old Norse draugr), from PIE *dreug-.

Meaning "barren" is mid-14c. Of humor or jests, early 15c. (implied in dryly); as "uninteresting, tedious" from 1620s. Of places prohibiting alcoholic drink, 1870 (but dry feast, one at which no liquor is served, is from late 15c.; colloquial dry (n.) "prohibitionist" is 1888, American English). Dry goods (1708) were those measured out in dry, not liquid, measure. Dry land (that not under the sea) is from early 13c. Dry run is from 1940s.

v.

Old English drygan, related to dry (adj.). Related: Dried; drying. Of the two agent noun spellings, drier is the older (1520s), while dryer (1874) was first used of machines. Dry out in the drug addiction sense is from 1967. Dry up "stop talking" is 1853.

Slang definitions & phrases for dry out

dry out

verb phrase
  1. To refrain from alcohol, esp in a medical facility as a part of treatment for alcohol abuse: He dried out a couple of weeks up in the Valley
  2. To be treated for narcotics abuse; be detoxified (1967+)

dry

adjective
  1. Not permitting the sale of alcoholic drink: North Carolina has dry counties (1887+)
  2. Thirsty (1406+)
noun

A person who favors the prohibition of alcoholic drink (1888+)


Idioms and Phrases with dry out

dry out

Undergo a cure for alcoholism, as in After years of constant drinking, he realized that he needed to dry out. [ 1960s ]

dry

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