Meaning & use
dries
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“dries” is a form of “dry”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
Becomes dry, or makes something dry, when used with he, she, or it.
Grammar: Used with he/she/it as the subject: She dries her hair. It also works without an object: The paint dries fast.
Patterns
- something dries
- someone dries something
- something dries in/on something
She dries her hair with a towel after every shower.
The paint dries in about an hour if the room is warm.
He dries the dishes and puts them away.
verbintransitive
Becomes dry and no longer usable or fresh, especially of plants, food, or ink.
Grammar: No object; the subject is the thing that becomes dry: The bread dries out quickly.
Patterns
- something dries out
- something dries up
The bread dries out fast if you leave it uncovered.
The river dries up completely in the summer.
Her marker dries out when the cap is left off.
Word forms
| base form | dry |
|---|---|
| third person singular | dries |
| past tense | dried |
| past participle | dried |
| -ing form | drying |
Common combinations
- dries quickly
- This shirt dries quickly on a sunny day.
- dries out
- My skin dries out in cold weather.
- dries up
- The pond dries up every August.
- dries in the sun
- The laundry dries in the sun on the balcony.
- dries your hands
- She dries her hands on the towel by the sink.
Synonyms and how they differ
- dehydrates
- More technical; it suggests removing all moisture, often from food or the body, while 'dries' is the everyday word.
- withers
- Used mostly for plants that dry and shrink; it adds the idea of dying or fading, which 'dries' does not.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: dries or dryer? dries or dairy?
dries vs dryer
'Dryer' is a noun for a machine or a person that dries; 'dries' is the verb form used with he, she, or it.
dries vs dairy
'Dairy' relates to milk and milk products; it sounds similar but has a completely different meaning.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence.
Choose one answer.
With 'she', the verb 'dry' becomes 'dries': She dries her hair. Option 1 uses the base form with 'she', option 2 is missing a helping verb, and option 3 wrongly makes 'night' plural.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dries”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.