What does DRY mean?

Definitions for DRY
draɪdry

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word DRY.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. dry, prohibitionistadjective

    a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages

  2. dryadjective

    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"

  3. dry, ironic, ironical, wryadjective

    humorously sarcastic or mocking

    "dry humor"; "an ironic remark often conveys an intended meaning obliquely"; "an ironic novel"; "an ironical smile"; "with a wry Scottish wit"

  4. dryadjective

    lacking moisture or volatile components

    "dry paint"

  5. dryadjective

    opposed to or prohibiting the production and sale of alcoholic beverages

    "the dry vote led by preachers and bootleggers"; "a dry state"

  6. dryadjective

    not producing milk

    "a dry cow"

  7. dryadjective

    (of liquor) having a low residual sugar content because of decomposition of sugar during fermentation

    "a dry white burgundy"; "a dry Bordeaux"

  8. dryadjective

    without a mucous or watery discharge

    "a dry cough"; "that rare thing in the wintertime; a small child with a dry nose"

  9. dryadjective

    not shedding tears

    "dry sobs"; "with dry eyes"

  10. dry, juicelessadjective

    lacking interest or stimulation; dull and lifeless

    "a dry book"; "a dry lecture filled with trivial details"; "dull and juiceless as only book knowledge can be when it is unrelated to...life"- John Mason Brown

  11. dryadjective

    used of solid substances in contrast with liquid ones

    "dry weight"

  12. dryadjective

    unproductive especially of the expected results

    "a dry run"; "a mind dry of new ideas"

  13. dryadjective

    having no adornment or coloration

    "dry facts"; "rattled off the facts in a dry mechanical manner"

  14. dryadjective

    (of food) eaten without a spread or sauce or other garnish

    "dry toast"; "dry meat"

  15. dryadjective

    having a large proportion of strong liquor

    "a very dry martini is almost straight gin"

  16. dryadjective

    lacking warmth or emotional involvement

    "a dry greeting"; "a dry reading of the lines"; "a dry critique"

  17. dry, teetotalverb

    practicing complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages

    "he's been dry for ten years"; "no thank you; I happen to be teetotal"

  18. dry, dry outverb

    remove the moisture from and make dry

    "dry clothes"; "dry hair"

  19. dry, dry outverb

    become dry or drier

    "The laundry dries in the sun"

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. DRYadjective

    Etymology: drig, Saxon.

    If the pipe be a little wet on the inside, it will make a differing sound from the same pipe dry. Francis Bacon, Natural History.

    When God said,
    Be gather’d now, ye waters under heav’n,
    Into one place, and let dry land appear! John Milton, Par. Lost.

    Of turbid elements the sport;
    From clear to cloudy tost, from hot to cold,
    And dry to moist. James Thomson.

    A dry March and a dry May portend a wholsome Summer, if there be a showering April between. Francis Bacon, Nat. History.

    The weather, we agreed, was too dry for the season. Addis.

    I will drain him dry as hay;
    Sleep shall neither night nor day
    Hang upon his penthouse lid:
    He shall live a man forbid. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

    Dry mourning will decays more deadly bring,
    As a North wind burns a too forward Spring:
    Give sorrow vent, and let the sluices go. John Dryden, Aurengz.

    So dry he was for sway. William Shakespeare, Tempest.

    Void of a bulky charger near their lips,
    With which, in often interrupted sleep,
    Their frying blood compels to irrigate
    Their dry furr’d tongues. Phillips.

    As we should take care that our stile in writing be neither dry nor empty, we should look again it be not winding or wanton with far-fetched descriptions: either is a vice. Ben Jonson.

    It remaineth to treat concerning ornaments within, or without the fabrick, a piece not so dry as the meer contemplation of proportions; and therefore, I hope, therein somewhat to refresh both the reader and myself. Henry Wotton, Architecture.

    That the fire burns by heat, is an empty dry return to the question, and leaves us still ignorant. Joseph Glanvill, Sceps. c. 20.

    It is a dry fable, with little or nothing in it. Roger L'Estrange.

    Authority and friendship work upon some, dry and sober reason works upon others. Roger L'Estrange.

    To clear up this theory, I was willing to lay aside dry subtilties with which the schools are filled. Thomas Burnet, Theory.

    These epistles will become less dry, and more susceptible of ornament. Alexander Pope.

    I rather hop’d I should no more
    Hear from you o’ th’ gallanting score;
    For hard dry bastings used to prove
    The readiest remedies of love;
    Next a dry diet. Hudibras, p. ii. cant. 1.

  2. To Dryverb

    The meat was well, if you were so contented.
    —— I tell thee, Kate, ’twas burnt, and dry’d away,
    And I expresly am forbid to touch it. William Shakespeare.

    Heat drieth bodies that do easily expire; as parchment, leaves, roots, and clay; and so doth time or age arefy, as in the same bodies. Francis Bacon, Natural History, №. 294.

    Herbs and flowers, if they be dried in the shade, or dried in the hot sun a small time, keep best. Francis Bacon, Nat. History.

    The running streams are deep:
    See, they have caught the father of the flock,
    Who drys his fleece upon the neighbouring rock. Dryden.

    ’Twas grief no more, or grief and rage were one,
    Within her soul: at last ’twas rage alone;
    Which burning upwards in succession, dries
    The tears that stood considering in her eyes. John Dryden, Fables.

    The water of the sea, which formerly covered it, was in time exhaled and dried up by the sun. John Woodward, Nat. Hist.

    Then with her vest the wound she wipes and dries. John Denham.

    See, at your blest returning,
    Rage disappears;
    The widow’d isle in mourning,
    Dries up her tears. John Dryden, Albion.

    Their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. Is. v. 13.

    Rash Elpenor, in an evil hour,
    Dry’d an immeasurable bowl, and thought
    T’ exhale his surfeit by irriguous sleep
    Imprudent: him, death’s iron sleep opprest. Phillips.

  3. To Dryverb

    To grow dry; to lose moisture; to be drained of its moisture.

ChatGPT

  1. dry

    Dry refers to the absence or lack of moisture or liquid, usually pertaining to a substance, atmosphere, or condition. It can also mean something free from sentimentality or exaggeration, characterized by straightforward, factual, or unemotional presentation or quality.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Dry

    free from moisture; having little humidity or none; arid; not wet or moist; deficient in the natural or normal supply of moisture, as rain or fluid of any kind; -- said especially: (a) Of the weather: Free from rain or mist

  2. Dry

    of vegetable matter: Free from juices or sap; not succulent; not green; as, dry wood or hay

  3. Dry

    of animals: Not giving milk; as, the cow is dry

  4. Dry

    of persons: Thirsty; needing drink

  5. Dry

    of the eyes: Not shedding tears

  6. Dry

    of certain morbid conditions, in which there is entire or comparative absence of moisture; as, dry gangrene; dry catarrh

  7. Dry

    destitute of that which interests or amuses; barren; unembellished; jejune; plain

  8. Dry

    characterized by a quality somewhat severe, grave, or hard; hence, sharp; keen; shrewd; quaint; as, a dry tone or manner; dry wit

  9. Dry

    exhibiting a sharp, frigid preciseness of execution, or the want of a delicate contour in form, and of easy transition in coloring

  10. Dryadjective

    to make dry; to free from water, or from moisture of any kind, and by any means; to exsiccate; as, to dry the eyes; to dry one's tears; the wind dries the earth; to dry a wet cloth; to dry hay

  11. Dryverb

    to grow dry; to become free from wetness, moisture, or juice; as, the road dries rapidly

  12. Dryverb

    to evaporate wholly; to be exhaled; -- said of moisture, or a liquid; -- sometimes with up; as, the stream dries, or dries up

  13. Dryverb

    to shrivel or wither; to lose vitality

  14. Etymology: [OE. drue, druye, drie, AS. dryge; akin to LG. drge, D. droog, OHG. trucchan, G. trocken, Icel. draugr a dry log. Cf. Drought, Drouth, 3d Drug.]

Wikidata

  1. Dry

    Dry is the debut studio album by English alternative rock musician PJ Harvey, released on 30 March 1992 on Too Pure Records. The album was recorded at The Icehouse, a local studio in Yeovil, United Kingdom. The first 5000 LPs and first 1000 CDs included demo versions of the album's tracks and Dry was subsequently released in the United States on Indigo Records in the US. Both versions were released in 1992.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Dry

    drī, adj. free from, deficient in, moisture, sap: not green: not giving milk: thirsty: uninteresting: (obs.) hard: frigid, precise: free from sweetness and fruity flavour (of wines, &c.).—v.t. to free from water or moisture: to exhaust.—v.i. to become dry, to evaporate entirely—both used also with prep. up:—pr.p. dry′ing; pa.p. dried.—n. and adj. Dry′asdust, the pretended editor or introducer of some of Scott's novels—a synonym for a dull and pedantic though learned person.—v.t. Dry′-beat (Shak.), to beat severely, or so as to be dry.—ns. Dry′-bob, a slang name used at Eton for boys who play cricket, football, &c.—opp. to the Wet-bob, who makes rowing his recreation; Dry′-dock (see Dock).—adj. Dry′-eyed, tearless.—n. Dry′-foot (Shak.), like a dog which pursues game by the scent of its foot.—n.pl. Dry′-goods, drapery, &c., as distinguished from groceries, hardware, &c.—n. Dry′-light, a clear, unobstructed light: an unprejudiced view.—advs. Dry′ly, Drī′ly.—ns. Dry′-meas′ure (see Measure); Dry′ness; Dry′-nurse, a nurse who feeds a child without milk from the breast; Dry′-plate, a sensitised photographic plate, with which a picture may be made without the preliminary use of a bath; Dry′-point, a sharp needle by which fine lines are drawn in copperplate engraving; Dry′-rot, a decay of timber caused by fungi which reduce it to a dry, brittle mass: (fig.) a concealed decay or degeneration.—v.t. Dry′-salt, to cure meat by salting and drying.—ns. Dry′salter, a dealer in gums, dyes, drugs, &c.: (obs.) or in salted or dry meats, pickles, &c.; Dry′saltery.—adj. Dry′-shod, without wetting the shoes or feet.—n. Dry′-steam, steam containing no unevaporated water.—adj. Dry′-stone, built of stone without mortar, as some walls.—n. Dry′-stove, a kind of hot-house for preserving the plants of dry, warm climates.—Cut and dried (see Cut).—High and dry (see High). [A.S. dr['y]ge; cf. Dut. droog, Ger. trocken.]

Editors Contribution

  1. dryadjective

    Free from liquid or moisture; not wet.

    The sun kept everything dry in the garden.


    Submitted by zakaria1409 on July 9, 2022  


  2. dry

    In meteorology it is a day or period of time where the sun is shining and there is a breeze.

    Following a day of rain we all welcome a dry day or period of time where it is dry.


    Submitted by MaryC on December 8, 2015  


  3. dry

    To describe a piece of clothing, material or matter that the air has moved specific water or other liquid from.

    The clothes go on the line to dry on a day where there is a breeze and sunshine.


    Submitted by MaryC on July 22, 2015  

Suggested Resources

  1. dry

    Song lyrics by dry -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by dry on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. DRY

    What does DRY stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the DRY acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. DRY

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Dry is ranked #12921 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Dry surname appeared 2,379 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 would have the surname Dry.

    82.7% or 1,968 total occurrences were White.
    7.4% or 177 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
    5.3% or 127 total occurrences were Black.
    2.1% or 51 total occurrences were of two or more races.
    1.8% or 43 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
    0.5% or 13 total occurrences were Asian.

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'DRY' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1989

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'DRY' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1620

  3. Verbs Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'DRY' in Verbs Frequency: #587

  4. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'DRY' in Adjectives Frequency: #242

How to pronounce DRY?

How to say DRY in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of DRY in Chaldean Numerology is: 7

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of DRY in Pythagorean Numerology is: 2

Examples of DRY in a Sentence

  1. Jim Salge:

    Much of New England had a really dry spring, and then we had variable rainfall this summer, some areas have gotten rainfall that’s well above normal, and we have some areas where rainfall has been below normal. Some places are still running a huge deficit for rainfall, while 10 miles away they are right on target or ahead. So it’s going to be a patchy year.

  2. Robert Spicer:

    Here we have preserved in amber all the details of one such early flower just at the time when flowering plants begin to spread across the globe, and it shows superb adaptation to seasonally dry environments that supports vegetation exposed to frequent wildfires.

  3. Benoit Fayaud:

    More than the hot spell we're seeing at the moment, it is the dry weather during spring that will have an impact on the crop, yields will be lower than last year but should still be at a decent level.

  4. Coast Guard:

    The Administration's recent announcement regarding Cuba does not affect immigration policies including wet foot/dry foot or the Cuban Adjustment Act, which only Congress can change.

  5. Donald Trump:

    I was watching the firemen the other day, and they were raking areas, they were raking areas where the fire was right over there, and they're raking... little bushes, that you could see are totally dry, weeds. And they're raking them -- they're on fire.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

DRY#1#2507#10000

Translations for DRY

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

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    directed outward; marked by interest in others or concerned with external reality
    A extroversive
    B articulate
    C adscripted
    D epidemic

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