dry cleaning

Meanings

1. 1noununcountable

   A way of cleaning clothes and fabrics with a chemical liquid instead of water.

   Grammar: Uncountable: I need to do some dry cleaning, not a dry cleaning.

   Patterns

   • take something for dry cleaning
   • dry cleaning only

   The label says dry cleaning only, so I can't wash the jacket at home.

   Dry cleaning uses a solvent that does not shrink delicate fabrics.

   She spends a lot on dry cleaning each year for her work suits.

2. 2noununcountable

   Clothes that have been, or are about to be, cleaned this way.

   Grammar: Used about the items themselves: pick up the dry cleaning.

   Patterns

   • pick up the dry cleaning
   • drop off the dry cleaning

   I need to pick up the dry cleaning before the wedding.

   He dropped off his dry cleaning on the way to work.

   The dry cleaning will be ready on Friday.

Common combinations

pick up the dry cleaning

Can you pick up the dry cleaning on your way home?

drop off dry cleaning

I'll drop off the dry cleaning at lunch.

dry cleaning only

The coat is marked dry cleaning only.

dry cleaning service

The hotel offers a dry cleaning service.

dry cleaning bill

Their dry cleaning bill was surprisingly high.

Synonyms and how they differ

laundry

Laundry is washing clothes with water and soap, while dry cleaning uses a solvent.

dry cleaners

Dry cleaners is the shop or business, not the process.

pressing

Pressing is only ironing garments, and does not clean them.

washing

Washing uses water and detergent, so it can shrink delicate items that dry cleaning protects.

Opposites

Word family

dry-clean verb

to clean with a chemical solvent

dry cleaner noun

the person or shop that cleans clothes this way

dry-cleaned adjective

cleaned by this method

drycleaner's noun

the shop, in British use

Commonly confused: dry cleaning or dry cleaners?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “dry cleaning”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words