dry

1 /draI/ adjective comparative driersuperlative driest

1 NOT WET without water or liquid inside or on the surface: The floor was made of hard dry earth. | The paint isn't dry yet - be careful! | Can you check if the washing's dry? | shake/rub/wipe sth dry: Give it to me and I'll wipe it dry. | as dry as a bone (=very dry)

2 WEATHER having very little rain or moisture: The air was dry, and the sun beat down fiercely. | the dry season

3 run/go dry if a lake, river etc runs dry, all the water gradually disappears, especially because there has been no rain

4 HUMOUR someone with a dry sense of humour pretends to be serious when they are really joking

5 THIRSTY informal thirsty: I'm really dry - do you have any orange juice?

6 dry mouth/skin/lips etc without enough of the liquid that is normally in your mouth etc: I felt nervous and dizzy and my mouth was dry.

7 dry cough a cough which does not produce any phlegm (1)

8 SPEECH/WRITING boring: I found the lecture dry and uninspired. | as dry as dust (=very boring)

9 dry wine/sherry etc wine etc that is not sweet: dry white wine

10 dry bread bread eaten on its own without butter, jam 1 (1) etc

11 TOWN/COUNTRY not allowing any alcohol to be sold there: There are still some dry states in the US.

12 VOICE showing no emotion

13 not a dry eye in the house often humorous used to say that everyone was crying because something was very sad

—see also: drip­dry — dryly, drily adverb — dryness noun (U) 2 verb (I, T) to make something dry or become dry: My boots haven't dried yet. | dry sth: Sit up and dry your eyes. —see also: cut and dried, dried dry off phrasal verb (I, T) to become dry or make something dry, especially on the surface: It was lovely being able to swim and then dry off in the sun. | cry sth off: Put the washing near the fire to dry it off. dry out phrasal verb (I, T)

1 to become or make something completely dry after it has been very wet: dry sth out: Dry your anorak out on the radiator.

2 to stop drinking alcohol after you have become an alcoholic

dry up phrasal verb

1 RIVER/LAKE ETC (I, T) if something such as a river dries up, the water in it disappears: During the drought all the reservoirs dried up. | dry sth up: The sun has completely dried up the soil and the crops are dying.

2 SUPPLY OF STH (I) to come to an end and have no more available: The research is finishing because the money's dried up.

3 PLATES/DISHES ETC (I, T) to rub dry with a cloth: dry sth up: Would you mind drying up the supper things?

4 dry up! spoken used to angrily tell someone to be quiet, especially when they are complaining about something: Just dry up! I'm enjoying the film even if you're not!

5 STOP TALKING (I) to stop talking because you have forgotten what you were going to say or what you should say when speaking or acting