dry

adjective (drier, driest)

• 1free from moisture or liquid; not wet or moist:the jacket kept me warm and dry he wiped it dry with his shirt
• having lost all wetness or moisture over a period of time:dry paint
• for use without liquid:the conversion of dry latrines into flush toilets
• with little or no rainfall or humidity:the West Coast has had two dry winters in a row
• (of a river, lake, or stream) empty of water as a result of evaporation and lack of rainfall:the river is always dry at this time of year
• (of a source) not yielding a supply of water or oil:a dry well
• thirsty or thirst-making:working in the hot sun is making me dry dry work
• (of a cow or other domestic animal) having stopped producing milk.
• without grease or other moisturizer or lubricator:cream conditioners for dry hair his throat was dry and sore
• (of bread or toast) without butter or other spreads:only dry bread and water

• 2bare or lacking adornment:the dry facts
• unexciting; dull:by current tastes the text is dry
• unemotional, undemonstrative, or impassive:Ralph gave me a dry, silent wave
• (of a joke or sense of humor) subtle, expressed in a matter-of-fact way, and having the appearance of being unconscious or unintentional:he delighted his friends with a dry, covert sense of humor

• 3prohibiting the sale or consumption of alcoholic drink:Indiana stayed dry after the end of prohibition
• (of a person) no longer addicted to or drinking alcohol:I heard much talk about how sobriety was more than staying straight or dry

• 4(of an alcoholic drink) not sweet:a dry, medium-bodied red wine

verb (dries, drying, dried)

• 1become dry:waiting for the paint to dry come in out of the rain and dry off do not let the soil dry out pools are left as the rivers dry up
• [with object] cause to become dry:they had washed and dried their hair
• [with object] wipe tears from (the eyes):she dried her eyes and blew her nose
• wipe dishes dry with a cloth after they have been washed.
• [with object] (usually as adjective dried) preserve by allowing or encouraging evaporation of moisture from:dried flowers

• 2 theatrical slang forget one’s lines:a colleague of mine once dried in the middle of a scene

noun (plural dries or drys)

• a person in favor of the prohibition of alcohol.