dry
gb/dɹˈaɪ/ us/dɹˈaɪ/
A1
English
~ 2700
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A1
property
1
Without water or moisture
Not having water or liquid; not wet.
Usage pattern:
[something] is dry
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'dry' with 'drought', but 'dry' describes the state of something, while 'drought' is a long period without rain.
Synonyms
arid (Often used for climates or landscapes; more formal.)
Antonyms
wet (Containing moisture or covered in liquid.)
Collocations
dry clothes
|dry skin
|dry weather
|dry ground
Themes
daily life
|weather
|nature
|core_vocabulary
|daily_life
Examples
- The ground was completely dry after weeks without rain.
- Make sure your hands are dry before touching the switch.
- Her lips felt dry from the cold wind.
- This towel is still not dry yet.
Learner examples
- My hair is dry now.
- The road is dry today.
- This shirt is dry.
- The air is dry.
Verb
A1
action
2
Remove water from something
To take water or liquid away from something.
Usage pattern:
to dry [something]
Common mistake:
Some learners mistakenly use 'make dry' instead of simply 'dry' as the verb.
Synonyms
dehydrate (More technical; often used for food or medical contexts.)
Antonyms
soak (To make completely wet by immersing in liquid.)
Collocations
dry clothes
|dry dishes
|dry hair
Themes
daily life
|household
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I need to dry my hands before cooking.
- She hung the laundry outside to dry.
- Dry the dishes with a clean cloth.
- We used a hairdryer to dry her hair quickly.
Learner examples
- I dry my hair every morning.
- Please dry the plates after washing them.
- Dry your hands before eating.
- He dries his shoes in the sun.
adjective
A2
property
3
Without rain or snow
When the weather has no rain or snow.
Usage pattern:
[day/weather/season] is dry
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'dry' weather with 'hot' weather, but it can be cold and still be dry.
Synonyms
rainless (Focuses only on absence of rain, not humidity.)
Antonyms
rainy (Having frequent rainfall.)
Collocations
dry climate
|dry season
|dry spell
Themes
weather
|nature
Examples
- It's been a very dry summer this year.
- Tomorrow will be sunny and dry across most of the country.
- Dry weather is expected for the festival weekend.
Learner examples
- Today is dry and sunny.
- The summer here is very dry.
- We have a dry season in winter.
adjective
B1
property
4
Without warmth or emotion in tone
Speaking or acting without showing feelings or friendliness.
Usage pattern:
[someone's manner/tone] is dry
Synonyms
curt (Short and possibly rude; stronger negative connotation than 'dry'.)
Antonyms
warm (Friendly and showing affection.)
Collocations
dry tone
|dry reply
|dry manner
Themes
communication
|emotions
Examples
- He gave a dry response to her long story.
- Her dry manner made it hard to know if she liked the idea.
- The teacher's dry delivery made the lecture dull.
Learner examples
- His voice was dry when he spoke.
- She gave me a dry answer.
- The man has a dry way of speaking.
adjective
A2
property
5
Wine with little sugar content
Wine or alcohol that is not sweet.
Usage pattern:
[drink] is dry
Synonyms
unsweetened (General term for foods without added sugar; not specific to wine.)
Antonyms
sweet (Containing noticeable sugar; opposite taste profile.)
Collocations
dry wine
|dry champagne
Themes
food and drink
|food_drink
Examples
- I prefer dry wines to sweet ones.
- This champagne is quite dry and crisp.
- They served a dry red wine with dinner.
Learner examples
- The wine is dry.
- I like dry drinks.
- He orders dry wine.
Grammar
Dictionary form
dry
IPA
GB/dɹˈaɪ/
US/dɹˈaɪ/
Syllables & stress
dry (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (dry)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: dry
- Comparative: drier
- Superlative: driest
Verb
- Base: dry
- 3rd Person Singular: dries
- Present Participle: drying
- Past: dried
Word family
Expressions
bone dry
1/bˈoʊn dɹˈaɪ/
fixed phrase
Completely without moisture
Very, very dry; having no water at all.
Examples
- After three days in the sun, the soil was bone dry.
- His lips were bone dry from dehydration.
dry run
1/dɹˈaɪ ɹˈʌn/
fixed phrase
Practice event without real outcome
A test or practice before the real event happens.
Examples
- We did a dry run of the presentation before the meeting.
- The crew had a dry run to prepare for the live show.
dry up
1/dɹˈaɪ ˈʌp/
phrasal verb
Lose all moisture and become dry
To lose all water or liquid and become completely dry.
Examples
- The river began to dry up after months without rain.
- Water the plants regularly so they don't dry up.
high and dry
1/hˈaɪ ˈænd dɹˈaɪ/
idiom
informal
Left helpless or stranded
To be left alone without help in a bad situation.
Examples
- When the bus left early, it left us high and dry in the middle of nowhere.
- She quit the project, leaving her team high and dry.
run dry
1/ɹˈʌn dɹˈaɪ/
idiom
Liquid supply completely used up
When there is no more liquid left in something.
Examples
- The well has run dry after the drought.
- Our fuel tank ran dry just outside the city.