dry

adjective

/draɪ/

(comparative drier, superlative driest)

Idioms

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not wet

not wet or sticky; without water or moisture

Is my shirt dry yet?
Store onions in a cool dry place.
I'm afraid this cake has turned out very dry.
Some plants grow better in dry soil.
When the paint is completely dry, apply another coat.
We managed to stay dry by huddling in a doorway.
Her mouth felt as dry as a bone (= completely dry).
It was high summer and the rivers were dry (= had no water in them).

little rain

with very little rain

weeks of hot, dry weather
the dry season
I hope it stays dry for our picnic.
There is every prospect of the weather remaining dry this week.
Rattlesnakes occur in the warmer, drier parts of North America.
The day will start bright and mainly dry.

Extra Examples

New Zealand has hot, dry summers and cold winters.
A doctor suggested they move to the drier climate of Arizona.
The coming weekend will be warm and dry.

Topics Geographya2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverbs

be
feel
look
…

adverb

extremely
fairly
very
…

See full entry

opposite wet

skin/hair

without the natural oils that makes it soft and healthy

a shampoo for dry hair

cough

that does not produce any phlegm (= the thick liquid that forms in the nose and throat)

a dry hacking cough

bread

eaten on its own without any butter, jam, etc.

Breakfast consisted of dry bread and a cup of tea.

wine

not sweet

a crisp dry white wine
a dry sherry
This wine is too dry for me.

opposite sweet

humour

(approving) very clever and expressed in a quiet way that is not obvious; often using irony

He was a man of few words with a delightful dry sense of humour.
He quickly built up a reputation for his dry wit.

without emotion

not showing emotion

a dry voice
‘He may not last the night,’ she said in a dry tone.
He replied in a cold, dry manner.

boring

not interesting

Government reports tend to make dry reading.
They were conducting a dry debate on science policy.

without alcohol

without alcohol; where it is illegal to buy, sell or drink alcohol

We had a dry wedding (= no alcoholic drinks were served).
a dry county/state
He's been dry (= has drunk no alcohol) for a year now.

thirsty

(informal, especially British English) thirsty; that makes you thirsty

I'm a bit dry.
This is dry work.

Topics Feelingsc2

Word OriginOld English drȳge (adjective), drȳgan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Middle Low German dröge, Dutch droog, and German trocken.

Idioms

be home and dry (British English)

(North American English be home free)

to have done something successfully, especially when it was difficult
- I could see the finish line and thought I was home and dry.
Topics Successc2

bleed somebody dry

(disapproving) to take away all somebody’s money
- The big corporations are bleeding some of these small countries dry.

high and dry

(of a boat, etc.) in a position out of the water
- Their yacht was left high and dry on a sandbank.
in a difficult situation, without help or money
More Like This Rhyming pairs in idioms
Rhyming pairs in idioms
- doom and gloom
- fair and square
- high and dry
- huff and puff
- name and shame
- slice and dice
- thrills and spills
- wear and tear
- wheel and deal
- wine and dine

keep your powder dry

(old-fashioned) to remain ready for a possible emergency

milk/suck somebody/something dry

to get from somebody/something all the money, help, information, etc. they have, usually giving nothing in return
- By earning millions from racing and giving pennies back, the bookmakers are sucking the sport dry.

not a dry eye in the house

(humorous) used to say that everyone was very emotional about something
- There wasn't a dry eye in the house when they announced their engagement.

run dry

to stop supplying water; to be all used so that none is left
- The wells in most villages in the region have run dry.
- Vaccine supplies started to run dry as the flu outbreak reached epidemic proportions.
- Native resources of scientific talent and ingenuity have not run dry.

squeeze somebody dry

to get as much money, information, etc. out of somebody as you can

dry

verb

/draɪ/

[intransitive, transitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they dry	/draɪ/ /draɪ/
he / she / it dries	/draɪz/ /draɪz/
past simple dried	/draɪd/ /draɪd/
past participle dried	/draɪd/ /draɪd/
-ing form drying	/ˈdraɪɪŋ/ /ˈdraɪɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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to become dry; to make something dry
- He did the laundry and hung it out to dry.
- Be careful. The paint hasn't dried yet.
- You wash the dishes and I'll dry.
- dry something Use this towel to dry your hands.
- to dry your hair
- First, wash and dry the vegetables.
- to dry your eyes/tears (= stop crying)
see also air-dry, blow-dry, drip-dry, spin-dry, tumble-dry
Extra Examples
- Allow the paper to dry overnight.
- Always dry clothes thoroughly before you wear them again.
- It's best to let your hair dry naturally.
- I carefully dried the lettuce with a paper towel.
- I dried my hands on the towel.
Word OriginOld English drȳge (adjective), drȳgan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Middle Low German dröge, Dutch droog, and German trocken.

Idioms

hang somebody out to dry

(informal) to put somebody in a difficult situation
- She is being hung out to dry for one silly mistake.