Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

dry

[drahy] / draɪ /






Frequently Asked Questions

What is another word for dry?
Dry has a lot of meanings that stem from its literal meaning: free from moisture. Something that is completely dry in this sense can be described as bone-dry, desert-dry, or dry as dust. Deserts and other dry environments—those without rain or humidity—are often described as arid. Sometimes, arid implies that such an environment is also barren (lacking vegetation due to the lack of water). The land in such places could be described as parched, which is also used to describe someone who is thirsty (whose throat is dry). A dry climate is one without much rain. An extended period of dry weather is called a drought. The adjective droughty can describe dry weather, but it’s not commonly used. Something that has become dry due to a loss of moisture could be described as dried-up. Depending on the cause of the moisture loss, it could be described as drained or evaporated. A plant that has dried up could be described as withered or shriveled. An uncommon synonym is sere. Something that has had its moisture removed intentionally could be described as dried, as in dried fruits. The word dehydrated is sometimes used to mean the same thing. A common nonliteral sense of dry is used to describe a particular sense of humor (or a joke) that’s expressed in a straight-faced, matter-of-fact way (as if it weren’t a joke at all). This type of delivery is sometimes described as deadpan. Sarcasm is not the same thing as dry humor, but the two sometimes overlap. Another nonliteral sense is used to describe something that’s dull or uninteresting because it lacks any exciting or engaging elements, as in The presentation was a bit dry—you need to liven it up a bit. Describing eyes as dry means there are no tears in them. This is usually used in the negative, as in There wasn’t a dry eye in the audience (meaning that everyone was crying). A figurative sense of dry means not having or allowing alcohol, as in a dry town. As a verb, dry means to remove the moisture from something, as in Dry the dishes or to lose moisture, as in Let the dishes dry in the dish drainer. The verb phrase dry off can be used for either sense.
What is the opposite (antonym) of dry?
Dry is the opposite of wet, moist, and damp. There are a lot of words for things that are very wet, such as soaked, drenched, and water-logged. The opposite of a dry climate is a rainy or humid one. The opposite of something that’s dry as in dull or uninteresting is something that’s exciting, engaging, or dynamic. Wet can also be the opposite of the verb dry, as in If the brush is dry, wet it before using it. A perhaps more commonly used synonym of the verb sense of wet is moisten.
Is it dries or drys?
The third person singular form of the verb dry is dries, as in She dries the dishes with a towel or Just leave it there while it dries. However, drys is also a word, although a much less common one—it’s an alternate plural form of the noun dry, which has a few different meanings.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Hundreds of thousands of people remain under hosepipe bans across the country while water sources recover from the prolonged dry weather.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Wheat prices climbed to their highest level since August 2023, driven by trade disruptions in the Black Sea region and dry weather in parts of North America.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026

But this year, portions of the river have been transformed into stretches of dry sand and gravel, while farmers have kept hayfields green by running their wells and pumps.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

Meltwater from glaciers can be an important source of water for irrigation, hydropower and even shipping traffic during hot, dry conditions.

From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026

Hannie’s eyes were dry and her face was like stone.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

By raising average temperatures, it makes extreme heat more likely and, when rain fails, increases evaporation and dries soils faster.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

But they are packaged into different tranches in order of who will get repaid first if the money dries up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

High pressure causes colder air to sink in the atmosphere, where it compresses, warms up and dries out.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

One of the biggest advantages of the technique is that the bubbles disappear completely as the droplet dries, leaving behind no residue.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

If the grass runs out or the water dries up, we move.

From "Facing the Lion" by Joseph Lemasolai Lekuton and Herman Viola

That really divided Whigs between drys and wets.

From Slate ● Apr. 5, 2017

So who are the other Washington VIPs queuing up for blow drys, yoga, personal training and makeup application in the comfort of their open concept living rooms?

From Washington Post ● Jan. 28, 2015

And while profits from cuts, colouring and blow drys have remained static, in 2012 the salon's hair extension business has grown 60% year on year.

From The Guardian ● Oct. 28, 2012

But she nonetheless tells her very fellow drys that she can secure Nucky’s help in doing away with these neighborhood stashes.

From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2010

As the river of that name that runs away from itself when it rains and drys up when it is clear, is so uncertain, the name Allegheny does not appeal to the masses.

From Watch Yourself Go By by Ben W. Warden

By Thursday, we are expecting high pressure to build, so it should be calmer and drier, and by Friday the north-west becomes the focus for any showers.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Summer months tend to be drier, but this year was exceptional.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

UK summers are expected to become drier on average due to climate change - although when there is heavy rain it could fall in more intense bursts.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

The current forecast suggests Saturday could bring some drier and brighter weather, particularly across parts of England.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Pretty quick, the ground starts to get less even and a bit drier.

From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness

Last year was among the driest for the world's rivers in over three decades, the UN's World Meteorological Organization said in a report.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

Precipitation was below average, ranking in the driest third on record for both August and for the June-August period, and drought covered nearly 60 percent of the contiguous US by September 1.

From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026

July’s 6.5 millimeters of rain in England, about 0.25 inches, was the lowest since records began in 1836 and less than half the next driest July—in 1911.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026

In other research, scientists found that the last quarter-century has probably been the driest in 1,200 years in Western North America, and that global warming is responsible for about 40% of the drought’s severity.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

He asked me to find the driest twigs.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

They’re weighty-seeming pictures that dried up and blew away in the cultural memory for lack of actual substance.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Then dams and expanding farmlands dried it up and turned it into a patchwork of fields, roads and towns.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

I whisked the eggs and cream with garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper, plus a little drizzle of soy sauce.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

She also recommends keeping dried herbs, spices and salt available as, she says, tinned food can be slightly bland.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Holly trees gave a pretence of cover, and they lit a small fire and ate a few slips of dried meat.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

And when people return to their home countries -- whether voluntarily or under duress -- help is also drying up, said UNHCR.

From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026

Manufacturers say that increasing production takes time and is costly, as producing high-protein whey requires specialist processing and drying equipment.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Corn flakes, made from rolling and drying the unsweetened grain, were the result of his experiments.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The drying can become even more pronounced when El Niño occurs alongside a positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole, which was also underway.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 6, 2026

“Well, Katherine and I were just drying dishes and straightening up. Why don’t you come join us in the kitchen?”

From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson




Vocabulary lists containing dry


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training