dry (draɪ
)
Definitions
adjective
Word forms: drier, driest, dryer, dryest
- lacking moisture; not damp or wet
- having little or no rainfall
- not in or under water ⇒
dry land
- having the water drained away or evaporated ⇒
a dry river
- not providing milk ⇒
a dry cow
- (of the eyes) free from tears
- informal in need of a drink; thirsty
- causing thirst ⇒
dry work
- eaten without butter, jam, etc ⇒
dry toast
- (of a wine, cider, etc) not sweet
- pathology not accompanied by or producing a mucous or watery discharge ⇒
a dry cough
- consisting of solid as opposed to liquid substances or commodities
- without adornment; plain ⇒
dry facts
- lacking interest or stimulation ⇒
a dry book
- lacking warmth or emotion; cold ⇒
a dry greeting
- (of wit or humour) shrewd and keen in an impersonal, sarcastic, or laconic way
- opposed to or prohibiting the sale of alcoholic liquor for human consumption ⇒
a dry area
- New Zealand (of a ewe) without a lamb after the mating season
- electronics (of a soldered electrical joint) imperfect because the solder has not adhered to the metal, thus reducing conductance
verb
Word forms: dries, drying, dried
- intr, often foll by off to make or become dry or free from moisture
- (tr) to preserve (meat, vegetables, fruit, etc) by removing the moisture
noun
Word forms: plural, drys, dries
- British informal a Conservative politician who is considered to be a hard-liner Compare wet (sense 10)
- See the dry
- US Canadian an informal word for prohibitionist
Alternative Forms
ˈdryable adjective ˈdryness nounWord Origin
Old English drӯge; related to Old High German truckan, Old Norse draugr dry woodSynonyms
View thesaurus entry=
dehydrated,
dried-up,
baked,
arid,
scorched,
torrid,
parched,
desiccated,
bone dry,
waterless,
rainless,
juiceless,
sapless,
moistureless,
=
sarcastic,
cutting,
sharp,
keen,
cynical,
low-key,
sly,
sardonic,
deadpan,
droll,
ironical,
quietly humorous
Translations
- British English:
dry
If something is dry, it has no water or other liquid on it or in it....a soft dry cloth.draɪ ADJECTIVE ...a soft dry cloth.
- Spanish:
seco
adj seca
- French:
sec
adj sèche
- German:
trocken
adj
- Chinese: 干燥的 adj
- Arabic: جافّ adj
- Portuguese: seco adj seca
- Russian: сухой adj сухая
- Croatian: suh adj suha
- Czech: suchý adj
- Danish: tør adj
- Dutch: droog adj
- Finnish: kuiva adj
- Greek: στεγνός adj στεγνή
- Italian: asciutto adj asciutta
- Japanese: 乾燥した no_posp
- Korean: 마른 adj
- Norwegian: tørr adj
- Polish: suchy adj sucha
- Brazilian Portuguese: seco adj seca
- European Spanish:
seco
adj seca
- Swedish: torr adj torrt
- Thai: แห้งแแล้ง adj
- Turkish: kuru adj
- Vietnamese: khô adj
- British English:
dry
When you dry something, or when it dries, it becomes dry.Wash and dry the lettuce. Leave your hair to dry naturally whenever possible.draɪ VERB Wash and dry the lettuce. Leave your hair to dry naturally whenever possible.
- Spanish:
secar
v
- French:
sécher
v
- German:
trocknen
v
- Chinese: 干燥 v
- Arabic: يُجَفِّفُ v
- Portuguese: secar v
- Russian: сушить v
- Croatian: sušiti v
- Czech: osušit v sušit
- Danish: tørre v
- Dutch: drogen v
- Finnish: kuivata vt
- Greek: στεγνώνω v
- Italian: asciugare v
- Japanese: 乾燥させる v
- Korean: 건조시키다 v
- Norwegian: tørke v
- Polish: wysuszyć v wysuszać
- Brazilian Portuguese: secar v
- European Spanish:
secar
v
- Swedish: torka v
- Thai: แห้ง v
- Turkish: kurutmak v
- Vietnamese: sấy khô v
Usage examples
The motorboat passed into the mist and he waded on to a piece of comparatively dry land to take stock of the situation.
, THE KEYS OF HELL (2002)A dry spell can encourage plant to produce more berries which means more colour.
Country Life (2004)Mr Paraic Carrigan, manager of the Climate Enquiries Office at Met Éireann, said May was normally a dry period.
Irish Times (2002)World travel, a broken heart and the occasional small dry sherry are on offer.
Glasgow Herald (2001)Five to Nine queue for breakfast, yes Hall slept well and his socks were dry by the morning.
, THE ESSENTIAL SPIKE MILLIGAN (2002)