dry

/draɪ/

/draɪ/

Other forms: dried; drying; dries; driest; drys; dryest

Things that are dry lack moisture. A desert or a dessert can be dry. If your eyes are dry, you’ve stopped crying. It’s also a flavor that means the opposite of sweet.

The Sahara Desert and crumbly chocolate cake are both dry. Dry is also a verb — when you paint your kitchen, you have to wait for the first coat to dry before you can add another. If someone says you have a dry sense of humor, they mean that you have a subtle style, keeping a straight face even when you say something outrageous.

Definitions of dry

1. adjective

   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”

   synonyms:

   adust, baked, parched, scorched, sunbaked

   dried out by heat or excessive exposure to sunlight

   air-dried

   made dry by contact with unheated air

   air-dry

   not giving off moisture on exposure to the air

   arid, waterless

   lacking sufficient water or rainfall

   bone dry, bone-dry

   without a trace of moisture; as dry as a weathered bone

   desiccated, dried-out

   thoroughly dried out

   dried

   not still wet

   dried-up

   depleted of water

   dried-up, sear, sere, shriveled, shrivelled, withered

   (used especially of vegetation) having lost all moisture

   dry-shod

   having or keeping the feet or shoes dry

   kiln-dried

   dried in a kiln

   rainless

   lacking rain

   semiarid

   somewhat arid

   semi-dry

   somewhat dry

   thirsty

   needing moisture

   antonyms:

   wet

   covered or soaked with a liquid such as water

   bedewed, dewy

   wet with dew

   besprent

   sprinkled over

   boggy, marshy, miry, mucky, muddy, quaggy, sloppy, sloughy, soggy, squashy, swampy, waterlogged

   (of soil) soft and watery

   clammy, dank

   unpleasantly cool and humid

   damp, dampish, moist

   slightly wet

   sodden, soppy

   wet through and through; thoroughly wet

   drippy, drizzly

   wet with light rain

   humid

   containing or characterized by a great deal of water vapor

   misty

   wet with mist

   muggy, steamy, sticky

   hot or warm and humid

   reeking, watery

   wet with secreted or exuded moisture such as sweat or tears

   rheumy

   moist, damp, wet (especially of the eyes)

   sloppy

   wet or smeared with a spilled liquid or moist material

   rainy, showery

   (of weather) wet by periods of rain

   steaming, steamy

   filled with steam or emitting moisture in the form of vapor or mist

   sticky

   moist as with undried perspiration and with clothing sticking to the body

   tacky

   (of a glutinous liquid such as paint) not completely dried and slightly sticky to the touch

   undried

   still wet or moist

   washed

   wet as from washing; sometimes used in combination

   watery

   filled with water
2. adjective

   lacking moisture or volatile components
   “dry paint”

   antonyms:

   wet

   containing moisture or volatile components
3. adjective

   not producing milk
   “a dry cow”

   synonyms:

   milkless

   having no milk

   antonyms:

   wet

   producing or secreting milk

   fresh

   having recently calved and therefore able to give milk
4. adjective

   without a mucous or watery discharge
   “a dry cough”

   “a small child with a dry nose”

   antonyms:

   phlegmy

   characterized by phlegm
5. adjective

   not shedding tears
   “dry sobs”

   “with dry eyes”

   synonyms:

   dry-eyed, tearless

   free from tears
6. adjective

   used of solid substances in contrast with liquid ones
   “dry weight”

   synonyms:

   solid

   of definite shape and volume; firm; neither liquid nor gaseous
7. adjective

   (of food) eaten without a spread or sauce or other garnish
   “dry toast”

   “dry meat”

   synonyms:

   plain

   not elaborate or elaborated; simple
8. verb

   remove the moisture from and make dry
   “dry clothes”

   “dry hair”

   synonyms: dry out

   antonyms:

   wet

   cause to become wet

   types:

   dehydrate, desiccate, dry up, exsiccate

   lose water or moisture

   dehydrate, desiccate

   remove water from

   spin-dry

   dry (clothes) by spinning and making use of centrifugal forces

   tumble dry

   dry by spinning with hot air inside a cylinder

   spray-dry

   dry by bringing into the form of a spray, through contact with a hot gas

   dehumidify

   make less humid

   parch, sear

   cause to wither or parch from exposure to heat

   rough-dry

   dry without smoothing or ironing

   blow-dry

   dry hair with a hair dryer

   drip-dry

   dry by hanging up wet

   air

   expose to warm or heated air, so as to dry

   type of:

   alter, change, modify

   cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
9. verb

   become dry or drier
   “The laundry dries in the sun”

   synonyms: dry out

   types:

   scorch

   become scorched or singed under intense heat or dry conditions

   dry out, run dry

   become empty of water

   type of:

   change

   undergo a change; become different in essence; losing one's or its original nature
10. adjective

    lacking interest or stimulation; dull and lifeless
    “a dry book”

    “a dry lecture filled with trivial details”

    synonyms: juiceless

    unexciting, unstimulating

    not stimulating
11. adjective

    lacking warmth or emotional involvement
    “a dry greeting”

    “a dry reading of the lines”

    “a dry critique”

    synonyms:

    unemotional

    unsusceptible to or destitute of or showing no emotion
12. adjective

    having no adornment or coloration
    “dry facts”

    “rattled off the facts in a dry mechanical manner”

    synonyms:

    plain

    not elaborate or elaborated; simple
13. adjective

    unproductive especially of the expected results
    “a dry run”

    “a mind dry of new ideas”

    synonyms:

    unproductive

    not producing or capable of producing
14. adjective

    opposed to or prohibiting the production and sale of alcoholic beverages
    “the dry vote led by preachers and bootleggers”

    “a dry state”

    antonyms:

    wet

    supporting or permitting the legal production and sale of alcoholic beverages
15. adjective

    practicing complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages
    synonyms: teetotal

    sober

    not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
16. noun

    a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages
    synonyms: prohibitionist

    examples:

    Carry Amelia Moore Nation

    United States prohibitionist who raided saloons and destroyed bottles of liquor with a hatchet (1846-1911)

    Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard

    United States advocate of temperance and women's suffrage (1839-1898)

    type of:

    crusader, meliorist, reformer, reformist, social reformer

    a person or group who pushes to improve an institution or system by changing it
17. adjective

    (of liquor) having a low residual sugar content because of decomposition of sugar during fermentation
    “a dry white burgundy”

    synonyms:

    nonsweet, sugarless

    not containing sugar

    brut

    (of champagne) extremely dry

    medium-dry

    of a wine that is dry but not extremely dry

    sec, unsweet

    (of champagne) moderately dry

    sour

    having a sharp biting taste

    antonyms:

    sweet

    (used of wines) having a high residual sugar content

    sugary

    containing sugar

    sweet

    having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
18. adjective

    having a large proportion of strong liquor
    synonyms:

    alcoholic

    characteristic of or containing alcohol
19. adjective

    humorously sarcastic or mocking
    “dry humor”

    synonyms: ironic, ironical, wry

    comedic, humorous, humourous

    full of or characterized by humor