English Word Dry Meaning and Definition

Word of the Day: Dry

If something is not wet, it might be dry. You can use this word as an adjective or as a verb:

In these sentences, the word “dry” is an adjective:

The weather has been dry lately.
Too much dry weather may lead to a drought. (drought = no rain)
The air becomes very dry during the winter.
The weather is drier in August than it is in June.
When bread is left out for too long, it become dry and stale.
Do you like dried fruit?
Dried grapes are called raisins.
Dried and salted meat is called jerky.
It’s important to keep your feet dry if you live in an area that gets a lot of rain.
Dry wood burns very quickly.
There was not a dry eye at the funeral for the woman who died. (not a dry eye = people cried)

The word “dry” can also be used as a verb:

simple	past	past participle
dry	dried	dried

Vanessa’s hair dries slowly because it’s so long.
In the summer the ground dries quickly after a rain shower.
Many people dry their clothes in a dryer.
We keep our washer and dryer in the basement. (dryer = the machine that dries clothes)
You can save money by drying your clothes outside on a clothesline. (In this sentence, “drying” is a gerund.)

There are some other uses for the word “dry.”

The money to fund the education program suddenly dried up. (dried up = disappeared)
Joe has a very dry wit. (dry wit = humor that is not obvious; intellectual humor)
Tennessee is a dry state. (dry = alcohol is prohibited with some exceptions)
You can use dry ice to keep something cold. (dry ice = solid carbon dioxide)
Expensive clothes that can’t be washed with soap and water need to be taken to a dry cleaner. (dry cleaner = a company that uses chemicals and other methods to clean clothes without water)

Visit the Popular English Words Beginning with D page to see the list of all words starting with letter D. For seeing the HiCafe dictionary, visit the Popular English Words with Meaning page.