Dry definition |Dictionary.com

Dry

13 dictionary results for: Dry

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

dry

[drahy] Pronunciation Key adjective, dri·er, dri·est, verb, dried, dry·ing, noun, plural drys, dries.

–adjective

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.

(of a cocktail)

a.	made with dry vermouth: a dry Manhattan.

b.	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.

a.	(of masonry construction) built without fresh mortar or cement.

b.	(of a wall, ceiling, etc., in an interior) finished without the use of fresh plaster.

26.

Ceramics.

unglazed.

b.	insufficiently glazed.

27.	Art. hard and formal in outline, or lacking mellowness and warmth in color.

–verb (used with object)

28.	to make dry; free from moisture: to dry the dishes.

–verb (used without object)

29.	to become dry; lose moisture.

–noun

30.	a prohibitionist.

31.	a dry place, area, or region.

—Verb phrases

32.

dry out,

a.	to make or become completely dry.

b.	to undergo or cause to undergo detoxification from consumption of excessive amounts of alcohol.

33.

dry up,

a.	to make or become completely dry.

b.	to cease to exist; evaporate.

c.	Informal. to stop talking.

d.	(in acting) to forget one's lines or part.

—Idiom

34.	not dry behind the ears, immature; unsophisticated: Adult responsibilities were forced on him, although he was still not dry behind the ears.

[Origin: bef. 900; ME drie, OE drȳge; akin to D droog, G trocken; see drought

]

—Related forms

dry·a·ble, adjective

dryly, adverb

dryness, noun

—Synonyms 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, esp. such as results in bareness or in barrenness: arid tracts of desert. 20. tedious, barren, boring, tiresome, jejune. 28. See evaporate. 29. dehydrate.

—Antonyms 1. wet. 20. interesting.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

dry (drī) Pronunciation Key
adj. dri·er (drī'ər) or dry·er, dri·est (drī'ĭst) or dry·est

Free from liquid or moisture: changed to dry clothes.
Having or characterized by little or no rain: a dry climate.
Marked by the absence of natural or normal moisture: a dry month.
Not under water: dry land.
Having all the water or liquid drained away, evaporated, or exhausted: a dry river.
No longer yielding liquid, especially milk: a dry cow.
Lacking a mucous or watery discharge: a dry cough.
Not shedding tears: dry sobs.
Needing or desiring drink; thirsty: a dry mouth.
No longer wet: The paint is dry.
Of or relating to solid rather than liquid substances or commodities: dry weight.
Not sweet as a result of the decomposition of sugar during fermentation. Used of wines.
Having a large proportion of strong liquor to other ingredients: a dry martini.
Eaten or served without butter, gravy, or other garnish: dry toast; dry meat.
Having no adornment or coloration; plain: the dry facts.
Devoid of bias or personal concern: presented a dry critique.
1. Lacking tenderness, warmth, or involvement; severe: The actor gave a dry reading of the lines.
2. Matter-of-fact or indifferent in manner: rattled off the facts in a dry mechanical tone.
Wearisome; dull: a dry lecture filled with trivial details.
Humorous or sarcastic in a shrewd, impersonal way: dry wit.
Prohibiting or opposed to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages: a dry county.
Unproductive of the expected results: a mind dry of new ideas.
Constructed without mortar or cement: dry masonry.

v. dried (drīd), dry·ing, dries (drīz)

v. tr.

To remove the moisture from; make dry: laundry dried by the sun.
To preserve (meat or other foods, for example) by extracting the moisture.

v. intr.
To become dry: The sheets dried quickly in the sun.

n. pl. drys Informal
A prohibitionist.

Phrasal Verb(s):
dry out Informal
To undergo a cure for alcoholism.
dry up

To make or become unproductive, especially to do so gradually.
Informal To stop talking.

[Middle English drie, from Old English drȳge.]

dry'ly, dri'ly adv., dry'ness n.

Synonyms: These verbs mean to remove the moisture from: drying the dishes; added water to eggs that were dehydrated; a factory where coconut meat is shredded and desiccated; land parched by the sun. See Also Synonyms at sour.
Antonym: moisten

(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

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Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
dry

O.E. dryge (adj.), drygan (v.), from P.Gmc. *draugiz. Of humor, 1542; of places prohibiting alcoholic drink, 1870 (but dry feast, one at which no liquor is served, is from 1483). Of the two n. spellings, drier is the older (1528), while dryer (1874) was first used of machines. Dry goods (1708) were those measured out in dry, not liquid, measure. Dry land (that not under the sea) is from c.1225. Dry out in the drug addiction sense is from 1967. Dry up "stop talking" is 1853.

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WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

dry
adjective
1.	free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet; "dry land"; "dry clothes"; "a dry climate"; "dry splintery boards"; "a dry river bed"; "the paint is dry" [ant: wet]
2.	humorously sarcastic or mocking; "dry humor"; "an ironic remark often conveys an intended meaning obliquely"; "an ironic novel"; "an ironical smile"; "with a wry Scottish wit"
3.	lacking moisture or volatile components; "dry paint" [ant: wet]
4.	opposed to or prohibiting the production and sale of alcoholic beverages; "the dry vote led by preachers and bootleggers"; "a dry state" [ant: wet]
5.	not producing milk; "a dry cow" [ant: lactating]
6.	(of liquor) having a low residual sugar content because of decomposition of sugar during fermentation; "a dry white burgundy"; "a dry Bordeaux" [ant: sweet]
7.	without a mucous or watery discharge; "a dry cough"; "that rare thing in the wintertime; a small child with a dry nose" [ant: phlegmy]
8.	not shedding tears; "dry sobs"; "with dry eyes"
9.	lacking interest or stimulation; dull and lifeless; "a dry book"; "a dry lecture filled with trivial details"; "dull and juiceless as only book knowledge can be when it is unrelated to...life"- John Mason Brown
10.	used of solid substances in contrast with liquid ones; "dry weight"
11.	unproductive especially of the expected results; "a dry run"; "a mind dry of new ideas"
12.	having no adornment or coloration; "dry facts"; "rattled off the facts in a dry mechanical manner"
13.	(of food) eaten without a spread or sauce or other garnish; "dry toast"; "dry meat"
14.	having a large proportion of strong liquor; "a very dry martini is almost straight gin"
15.	lacking warmth or emotional involvement; "a dry greeting"; "a dry reading of the lines"; "a dry critique"
16.	practicing complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages; "he's been dry for ten years"; "no thank you; I happen to be teetotal"
noun
1.	a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages
verb
1.	remove the moisture from and make dry; "dry clothes"; "dry hair" [ant: wet]
2.	become dry or drier; "The laundry dries in the sun"

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American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

dry

In addition to the idioms beginning with dry, also see cut and dried; hang out to dry; high and dry; keep one's powder dry; well's run dry.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

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Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ¹dry
Pronunciation: 'drI
Function: adjective
Inflected Form: dri·er /'drI(-&)r/; dri·est /'drI-&st/
1 : marked by the absence or scantiness of secretions, effusions, or other forms of moisture
2 of a cough : not accompaniedby the raising of mucus or phlegm

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Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: ²dry
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: dried; dry·ing
transitive senses
: to make dry dry intransitivesenses
: to become dry

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U.S. Gazetteer - Cite This Source - Share This

Dry Branch, GA Zip code(s): 31020

Dry Ridge, KY (city, FIPS 22582) Location: 38.68218 N, 84.59643 W
Population (1990): 1601 (607 housing units)
Area: 11.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 41035

Dry Prong, LA (village, FIPS 21765) Location: 31.57865 N, 92.52935 W
Population (1990): 380 (171 housing units)
Area: 3.5 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)
Zip code(s): 71423

Dry Fork, VA Zip code(s): 24549

Dry Creek, WV Zip code(s): 25062

Dry Creek, LA Zip code(s): 70637

Dry Creek, KY Zip code(s): 41862

Dry Run, PA Zip code(s): 17220

Dry Creek, AK (CDP, FIPS 20020) Location: 63.65340 N, 144.66530 W
Population (1990): 106 (27 housing units)
Area: 12.2 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

Dry Run, OH (CDP, FIPS 22674) Location: 39.10430 N, 84.33066 W
Population (1990): 5389 (1701 housing units)
Area: 12.3 sq km (land), 0.0 sq km (water)

U.S. Gazetteer, U.S. Census Bureau

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dry

A"re*a\ ([=a]"r[-e]*[.a]; 277), n.; pl. Areas (-[.a]z) . [L. area a broad piece of level ground. Cf. Are, n.]

1. Any plane surface, as of the floor of a room or church, or of the ground within an inclosure; an open space in a building.

The Alban lake . . . looks like the area of some vast amphitheater. --Addison.

2. The inclosed space on which a building stands.

3. The sunken space or court, giving ingress and affording light to the basement of a building.

4. An extent of surface; a tract of the earth's surface; a region; as, vast uncultivated areas.

5. (Geom.) The superficial contents of any figure; the surface included within any given lines; superficial extent; as, the area of a square or a triangle.

6. (Biol.) A spot or small marked space; as, the germinative area.

7. Extent; scope; range; as, a wide area of thought.

The largest area of human history and man's common nature. --F. Harrison.

Dry area. See under Dry.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dry

Dri"er\, compar., Driest \Dri"est\, superl., of Dry, a.

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Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Dry

Drought\, n. [OE. droght, drougth, dru??, AS. druga?, from drugian to dry. See Dry, and cf. Drouth, which shows the original final sound.]