12 ADJ If a country, state, or city is dry , it has laws or rules which forbid anyone to drink, sell, or buy alcoholic drink. [INFORMAL ] □ Gujurat has been a totally dry state for the past thirty years.
13 ADJ If you say that someone is sucking something dry or milking it dry , you are criticizing them for taking all the good things from it until there is nothing left. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ He's just milking the company dry.
14 ADJ [usu ADJ n] Dry humour is very amusing, but in a subtle and clever way. [APPROVAL ] □ Fulton has retained his dry humour. ● dri|ly ADV [ADV with v] □ 'That is surprising.'—'Hardly,' I said drily. ● dry|ness N‑UNCOUNT □ Her writing has a wry dryness.
15 ADJ If you describe something such as a book, play, or activity as dry , you mean that it is dull and uninteresting. [DISAPPROVAL ] □ …dry, academic phrases.
16 ADJ [ADJ n] Dry bread or toast is plain and not covered with butter or jam. □ For breakfast, they had dry bread and tea.
17 ADJ Dry sherry or wine does not have a sweet taste. □ …a glass of chilled, dry white wine.
18 high and dry → see high
19 home and dry → see home ➊
▸ dry off PHRASAL VERB If something dries off or if you dry it off , the moisture on its surface disappears or is removed. □ [V P ] They are then scrubbed with clean water and left to dry off for an hour or two in a warm room. □ [V n P ] When the bath water started to cool I got out, dried myself off, and dressed. [Also V P n]
▸ dry out
1 PHRASAL VERB If something dries out or is dried out , it loses all the moisture that was in it and becomes hard. □ [V P ] If the soil is allowed to dry out the tree could die. □ [V P n] The cold winds dry out your skin very quickly. [Also V n P ]
2 PHRASAL VERB If someone dries out or is dried out , they are cured of addiction to alcohol. [INFORMAL ] □ [V P ] He checked into Cedars Sinai Hospital to dry out. [Also be V -ed P ]
▸ dry up
1 PHRASAL VERB If something dries up or if something dries it up , it loses all its moisture and becomes completely dry and shrivelled or hard. □ [V P ] As the day goes on, the pollen dries up and becomes hard. □ [V P n] Warm breezes from the South dried up the streets. [Also V n P ] ● dried-up ADJ □ …a tuft or two of dried-up grass.
2 PHRASAL VERB If a river, lake, or well dries up , it becomes empty of water, usually because of hot weather and a lack of rain. □ [V P ] Reservoirs are drying up and farmers have begun to leave their land. ● dried-up ADJ □ …a dried-up river bed.
3 PHRASAL VERB If a supply of something dries up , it stops. □ [V P ] Investment could dry up and that could cause the economy to falter.
4 PHRASAL VERB If you dry up when you are speaking, you stop in the middle of what you were saying, because you cannot think what to say next. □ [V P ] If you ask her what she's good at she will dry up after two minutes.
5 → see dry 3
6 → see also dried-up , drying up
dry -clea n (dry-cleans , dry-cleaning , dry-cleaned ) VERB [usu passive] When things such as clothes are dry-cleaned , they are cleaned with a liquid chemical rather than with water. □ [be V -ed] Natural-filled duvets must be dry-cleaned by a professional.
dry clea n|er (dry cleaners ) N‑COUNT A dry cleaner or a dry cleaner's is a shop where things can be dry-cleaned.
dry -clea ning also dry cleaning
1 N‑UNCOUNT Dry-cleaning is the action or work of dry-cleaning things such as clothes. □ He owns a dry-cleaning business.
2 N‑UNCOUNT Dry-cleaning is things that have been dry-cleaned, or that are going to be dry-cleaned.
dry do ck (dry docks ) N‑COUNT A dry dock is a dock from which water can be removed so that ships or boats can be built or repaired.
dry|er /dra I ə r / (dryers ) also drier
1 N‑COUNT [oft n N ] A dryer is a machine for drying things. There are different kinds of dryer, for examples ones designed for drying clothes, crops, or people's hair or hands. □ …hot air electric hand dryers.
2 → see also dry , tumble dryer
dry -ey e d ADJ If you say that someone is dry-eyed , you mean that although they are in a very sad situation they are not actually crying. □ At the funeral she was dry-eyed and composed.
dry goods N‑PLURAL Dry goods are cloth, thread, and other things that are sold at a draper's shop. [AM ] in BRIT, use drapery , haberdashery
dry |ing u p N‑UNCOUNT [oft the N ] When you do the drying up , you dry things such as plates, pans, knives, and cups after they have been washed. [BRIT ] in AM, use drying
dry la nd N‑UNCOUNT [oft on N ] If you talk about dry land , you are referring to land, in contrast to the sea or the air. □ We were glad to be on dry land again.
dry ro t N‑UNCOUNT Dry rot is a serious disease of wood. It is caused by a fungus and causes wood to decay. □ The house was riddled with dry rot.
dry ru n (dry runs ) N‑COUNT If you have a dry run , you practise something to make sure that you are ready to do it properly. □ [+ for ] The competition is planned as a dry run for the World Cup finals.