dry

[[t]dra͟ɪ[/t]]

♦♦

drier, dryer (comparative), driest, dries, drying, dried

1) ADJ-GRADED If something is dry, there is no water or moisture on it or in it.

Clean the metal with a soft dry cloth...

Pat it dry with a soft towel...

Once the paint is dry, apply a coat of the red ochre emulsion paint...

The path was dry and slithery from the drought.

Ant:

wet, damp

Derived words:

dryness N-UNCOUNT

...the parched dryness of the air.

2) V-ERG When something dries or when you dry it, it becomes dry.

The washing might dry outside today, the sun's shining...

Leave your hair to dry naturally whenever possible...

[V n] Wash and dry the lettuce...

[V n] Liz laughed again, got up from the water and began to dry herself.

3) VERB When you dry the dishes after a meal, you wipe the water off the plates, cups, knives, pans, and other things when they have been washed, using a cloth.

[V n] Mrs. Madrigal picked up a towel and began drying dishes next to her daughter. [Also V]

Syn:

wipe

PHRASAL VERB

Dry up means the same as dry. [BRIT]

Also V P V P n (not pron) He got up and stood beside Julie, drying up the dishes while she washed.

4) ADJ-GRADED If you say that your skin or hair is dry, you mean that it is less oily than or not as soft as normal.

Nothing looks worse than dry, cracked lips...

Dry hair can be damaged by washing it too frequently...

My skin's been getting a little dry recently.

Ant:

greasy

Derived words:

dryness N-UNCOUNT

Dryness of the skin can also be caused by living in centrally heated homes and offices.

5) ADJ-GRADED If the weather or a period of time is dry, there is no rain or there is much less rain than average.

Exceptionally dry weather over the past year had cut agricultural production...

The spring had been unusually dry and we received only two tenths of an inch of rain during the entire month of June.

Ant:

wet

6) ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n A dry place or climate is one that gets very little rainfall.

It was one of the driest and dustiest places in Africa.

...a hot, dry climate where the sun is shining all the time.

Syn:

arid

Ant:

wet

Derived words:

dryness N-UNCOUNT

He was advised to spend time in the warmth and dryness of Italy.

7) N-SING: the N, usu in N In the dry means in a place or at a time that is not damp, wet, or rainy. [mainly BRIT]

Such cars, however, do grip the road well, even in the dry.

Ant:

wet

8) ADJ-GRADED If a river, lake, or well is dry, it is empty of water, usually because of hot weather and lack of rain.

The aquifer which had once fed the wells was pronounced dry...

The single-engine plane landed at a dry lake in western Arizona...

In the end the Volga's waters will run dry.

9) ADJ: usu v-link ADJ If an oil well is dry, it is no longer producing any oil.

To harvest oil and gas profitably from the North Sea, it must focus on the exploitation of small reserves as the big wells run dry.

Syn:

exhausted

Ant:

productive

10) ADJ-GRADED: v-link ADJ If you are dry, you need to drink something. [INFORMAL]

She was suddenly thirsty and dry.

Syn:

parched

11) ADJ-GRADED: usu v-link ADJ If your mouth or throat is dry, it has little or no saliva in it, and so feels very unpleasant, perhaps because you are tense or ill.

His mouth was still dry, he would certainly be glad of a drink...

My throat was dry. I was at a loss for words.

Derived words:

dryness N-UNCOUNT usu with supp

Symptoms included frequent dryness in the mouth.

12) ADJ: ADJ n A dry cough is one that does not produce any mucus.

13) ADJ If someone has dry eyes, there are no tears in their eyes; often used with negatives or in contexts where you are expressing surprise that they are not crying.

There were few dry eyes in the house when I finished...

She didn't wince and her eyes were dry. Talk about brave. She was unbelievable.

Ant:

moist

14) ADJ If a country, state, or city is dry, it has laws or rules which forbid anyone to drink, sell, or buy alcoholic drink. [INFORMAL]

Gujrat has been a totally dry state for the past thirty years.

Syn:

teetotal

15) ADJ: v n ADJ (disapproval) If you say that someone is sucking something dry or milking it dry, you are criticizing them for taking all the good things from it until there is nothing left.

...a shady rip-off industry that sucks its talent dry then discards it...

He's just milking the company dry.

16) ADJ-GRADED: usu ADJ n (approval) Dry humour is very amusing, but in a subtle and clever way.

Though the pressure Fulton is under must be considerable, he has retained his dry humour...

Mr Brooke is renowned for his dry wit.

Syn:

witty

Derived words:

drily ADV ADV with v, ADV adj

As Rossini drily observed, `Wagner has lovely moments but awful quarters of an hour.'

...a frank and drily witty woman.

dryness N-UNCOUNT

It has a wry dryness you won't recognise.

17) ADJ-GRADED If you describe a voice as dry, you mean that it is cold or dull, and does not express any emotions. [WRITTEN]

When he crept back to his desk, he heard the dry voice of Father Laurence.

Syn:

thin

Ant:

rich

Derived words:

drily ADV ADV with v

`Possible,' I said drily, `but not likely'.

18) ADJ-GRADED (disapproval) If you describe something such as a book, play, or activity as dry, you mean that it is dull and uninteresting.

My eyelids were drooping over the dry, academic phrases...

A lot of the work was very dry and boring in Westminster.

Syn:

dull, boring

19) ADJ: ADJ n Dry bread or toast is plain and not covered with butter or jam.

For breakfast, they had dry bread and tea.

Syn:

unbuttered

20) ADJ Dry sherry or wine does not have a sweet taste.

...a glass of chilled, dry white wine.

Ant:

sweet

21) high and dry → see high

home and dry → see home

Phrasal Verbs:

- dry off

- dry out

- dry up