/ draɪ; NAmE / adjective , verb
■ adjective
( drier , dri·est )
NOT WET
1.
not wet, damp 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.
Her mouth felt as dry as a bone (= completely dry) .
When the paint is completely dry, apply another coat.
It was high summer and the rivers were dry (= had no water in them) .
—see also bone dry
OPP wet
LITTLE RAIN
2.
with very little rain :
weeks of hot dry weather
the dry season
I hope it stays dry for our picnic.
Rattlesnakes occur in the warmer, drier parts of North America.
SYN wet
SKIN / HAIR
3.
without the natural oils that makes it soft and healthy :
a shampoo for dry hair
COUGH
4.
that does not produce any phlegm (= the thick liquid that forms in the nose and throat) :
a dry hacking cough
BREAD
5.
eaten on its own without any butter, jam, etc. :
Breakfast consisted of dry bread and a cup of tea.
WINE
6.
not sweet :
a crisp dry white wine
a dry sherry
OPP sweet
HUMOUR
7.
( 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.
WITHOUT EMOTION
8.
not showing emotion :
a dry voice
BORING
9.
not interesting :
Government reports tend to make dry reading.
➡ note at boring
WITHOUT ALCOHOL
10.
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
THIRSTY
11.
( informal , especially BrE ) thirsty; that makes you thirsty :
I'm a bit dry.
This is dry work.
► dryly = drily
► dry·ness noun [ U ]
•
IDIOMS
- milk / suck sb/sth dry
- not a dry eye in the house
- run dry
—more at bleed , high adjective , home adverb , powder noun , squeeze verb
■ verb
( dries , dry·ing , dried , dried ) to become dry; to make sth dry :
[ v ]
Be careful. The paint hasn't dried yet.
You wash the dishes and I'll dry.
[ vn ]
Use this towel to dry your hands.
dry your hair
to dry your eyes / tears (= stop crying)
•
PHRASAL VERBS
- dryoff | dry sb/sth off
- dry out | dry sb out
- dry out | dry sth out
- dry up
- dry up | dry sth up
••
WORD ORIGIN
Old English drӯge (adjective), drӯgan (verb), of Germanic origin; related to Middle Low German dröge , Dutch droog , and German trocken .