dry has definitions from the field of politics
1
[ adjective ] free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet

Examples

"dry land" "dry clothes" "a dry climate" "dry splintery boards" "a dry river bed" "the paint is dry"

Used in print

(Richard I. McCosh, "Recreation Site Selection"...)

The quantity of water flow may be critical ; a stream or pond which is attractive in the springtime may become stagnant or dry in late summer .

(B. J. D. Meeuse, The Story of Pollination....)

The best chance , of_course , is offered by gently sloping terrain where the water remains close to the surface and where the air is dry , so that a high evaporation leaves salty deposits which permit only sparse plant growth .

(Robert Penn Warren, Wilderness....)

He had seen a dry , old , yellowing hand reach_out , with that painful solicitude , to touch , to rearrange , to shift aimlessly , some object worth a pfennig .

Beyond that misty gray of the rain , he saw the stretching hutment , low diminutive log_cabins , chinked with mud , with doorways a man would have_to crouch to get through , with roofs of tenting laid_over boughs or boards from hardtack boxes , or fence_rails , with cranky chimneys of sticks and dried mud .

(Gerald Green, The Heartless Light....)

Southern_California gasped and blinked under an autumn hot_spell , drier , more enervating , more laden with man 's contrived impurities than the worst days of the summer past .

2
[ verb ] remove the moisture from and make dry

Synonyms

dry_out

Examples

"dry clothes" "dry hair"

Used in print

(Norman Kent, "The Watercolor Art of Roy M. Mason"...)

Then I dry the sheet under mild pressure so that it will lie flat as a board .

I also use a small electric hand_blower to dry large washes in the studio .

(T. C. McClary, "The Flooded Desert," Argosy,...)

The burning air dried his sweat soaked clothes in salt edged patches .

It was spoiled now for seed , and it would sour and mold in three days if they failed to find a place and fuel to dry it .

(Vina Delmar, The Big Family....)

And after a while , he dried his tears and walked the deck as a captain should with assurance and dignity .

3
[ verb ] become dry or drier

Synonyms

dry_out

Examples

"The laundry dries in the sun"

Used in print

(James A. Ibers et al., "Proton magnetic resonance...)

A very fine , gray solid ( about 15 g ) is formed , water-washed by centrifugation , and dried at 110 ` C .

(A. N. Nagaraj and L. M. Black, "Localization of...)

The sections were fixed in acetone for 15_minutes and dried at 37 ` for 30_minutes .

(Louis Zara, Dark Rider....)

Even before the benches had dried , the Civil_War veterans were straggling back to their places .

(Irving Stone, The Agony and the Ecstasy....)

When the cloth dried and stiffened , he saw what adjustments had to be made .

(Ann Hebson, The Lattimer Legend....)

Juanita and Mrs._Tussle kept Kate in bed a week until her milk dried .

Related terms

change scorch run_dry desiccant

4
[ adjective ] humorously sarcastic or mocking

Synonyms

ironical wry ironic

Examples

"dry humor" "an ironic remark often conveys an intended meaning obliquely" "an ironic novel" "an ironical smile" "with a wry Scottish wit"

Used in print

(Christopher Davis, First Family....)

Rachel 's tone was dry .

Related terms

humorous

5
[ adjective ] suffering from fluid deprivation

Examples

"his mouth was dry"

Related terms

thirsty

6
[ adjective ] (of food) eaten without a spread or sauce or other garnish

Examples

"dry toast" "dry meat"

Related terms

plain

7
[ adjective ] not shedding tears

Examples

"dry sobs" "with dry eyes"

Related terms

tearless

8
[ adjective ] not producing milk

Examples

"a dry cow"

Related terms

wet milkless

9
[ adjective ] having no adornment or coloration

Examples

"dry facts" "rattled off the facts in a dry mechanical manner"

Related terms

plain

10
[ adjective ] lacking warmth or emotional involvement

Examples

"a dry greeting" "a dry reading of the lines" "a dry critique"

Related terms

unemotional

11
[ adjective ] practicing complete abstinence from alcoholic beverages

Synonyms

teetotal

Examples

"he's been dry for ten years" "no thank you I happen to be teetotal"

Related terms

sober

12
[ adjective ] used of solid substances in contrast with liquid ones

Examples

"dry weight"

Related terms

solid

13
[ adjective ] unproductive especially of the expected results

Examples

"a dry run" "a mind dry of new ideas"

Related terms

unproductive

14
[ adjective ] lacking interest or stimulation; dull and lifeless

Synonyms

juiceless

Examples

"a dry book" "a dry lecture filled with trivial details" "dull and juiceless as only book knowledge can be when it is unrelated to...life"- John Mason Brown

Related terms

unstimulating

15
[ adjective ] (of wines) not sweet because of decomposition of sugar during fermentation

Examples

"a dry white burgundy"

Related terms

sweet brut sec sour sugarless

16
[ adjective ] without a mucous or watery discharge

Examples

"a dry cough" "that rare thing in the wintertime a small child with a dry nose"

Related terms

phlegmy

17
[ adjective ] having a large proportion of strong liquor

Examples

"a very dry martini is almost straight gin"

Related terms

alcoholic

18
[ adjective ] opposed to or prohibiting the production and sale of alcoholic beverages

Examples

"the dry vote led by preachers and bootleggers" "a dry state"

Related terms

wet

19
[ noun ] Last name, frequency rank in the U.S. is 14923
20
[ noun ] (politics) a reformer who opposes the use of intoxicating beverages

Synonyms

prohibitionist

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