■ adjective ( drier , driest )
1》 free from moisture or liquid.
↘not yielding water, oil, or milk: a ~ well.
↘without grease or other moisturizer or lubricator: ~ hair.
2》 (of information, writing, etc.) dully factual.
↘unemotional or undemonstrative.
3》 (of humour) subtle and expressed in a matter-of-fact way.
4》 prohibiting the sale or consumption of alcoholic drink.
↘no longer drinking alcohol.
5》 (of wine) not sweet.
■ verb ( dries , ~ing , dried )
1》 become or make ~.
↘[usu. as adjective dried ] preserve by evaporating the moisture from: dried milk.
2》 ( ~ up ) (of a supply or flow) decrease and stop.
3》 theatrical slang forget one's lines.
↘( ~ up ) informal cease talking.
4》 ( ~ out ) informal overcome alcoholism.
■ noun ( plural dries or ~s )
1》 ( the ~ ) chiefly Austral. the ~ season.
↘a tract of waterless country.
2》 Brit. a Conservative politician (especially in the 1980s) in favour of strict monetarist policies.
3》 US a person in favour of the prohibition of alcohol.
Phrases
come up ~ N. Amer. informal be unsuccessful.
Derivatives
~ish adjective
~ness noun
Origin
OE ~̄ge (adjective), ~̄gan (v.), of Gmc origin.