dry

Universal Words adjective, verb adjective (drier, driest) 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 and crumbly. * Her mouth felt as dry as a bone (= completely dry). * When the paint is completely dry, apply another coat. * It was high summer. The trees were dusty and the rivers were dry (= had no water in them). seealsoBONEDRY little rain 2 with very little rain: weeks of hot dry weather * a dry climate * the dry season * I hope it stays dry for our picnic. * Rattlesnakes occur in the warmer, drier parts of North America. skin / hair 3 without the natural oils that makes it soft and healthy: a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner 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 * This wine is too dry for me. 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 tone / voice / manner boring 9 not interesting: Government reports tend to make dry reading. 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 * The whiskey can be distilled in Lynchburg but not consumed because the town is in a dry county. thirsty 11 (informal, especially BrE) thirsty; that makes you thirsty: I'm a bit dry. * This is dry work. dryly = DRILY dryness noun [U] IDIOMS milk / suck sb/sth dry to get from sb/sth 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 sth: 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. moreatBLEED, HIGHadj., HOMEadv., POWDERn., SQUEEZEv. verb (dries, drying, dried, dried) to become dry; to make sth dry: [V] 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. * [VN] You can use this towel to dry your hands. * I'll just finish drying my hair then I'll come down. * to dry your eyes / tears PHRASALVERBS dryoff