as in rehearsal
a private performance or session in preparation for a public appearance
we had time for just one dry run of the play before opening night
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dry run
In short, the conflict contained a dry run for a potential chemical attack.
—
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 29 Dec. 2025
In retrospect, Kinetta feels like a dry run for Lanthimos, with all the droll affectation of his later provocations but little of the allegorical power or lunatic comedy that would distinguish them.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The man tried a dry run on rear-ending the police SUV before hitting the SUV with an officer inside, according to the county sheriff and video.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Safety officials at the stadium, meanwhile, used last summer’s Gold Cup soccer match between Mexico and Honduras as a security dry run for next summer’s FIFA men’s World Cup.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dry run
Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 29 Dec. 2025
In retrospect, Kinetta feels like a dry run for Lanthimos, with all the droll affectation of his later provocations but little of the allegorical power or lunatic comedy that would distinguish them.
—A.a. Dowd, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The man tried a dry run on rear-ending the police SUV before hitting the SUV with an officer inside, according to the county sheriff and video.
—Christina Hall, Freep.com, 23 Oct. 2025
Safety officials at the stadium, meanwhile, used last summer’s Gold Cup soccer match between Mexico and Honduras as a security dry run for next summer’s FIFA men’s World Cup.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dry run
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dry run
Noun
-
There, the patriarch, Joseph (Colman Domingo), presses the child Michael (played with admirable musical and dramatic flair by Juliano Valdi) and four of Michael’s older brothers into rehearsal.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
-
At five o’clock Michael returns from a day of rehearsal, flanked by a personal bodyguard and his CBS Records chaperone and appointment-maker, Steve Manning.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Eventually, he would be given a fair trial by a jury of his peers.—
Saïd Sayrafiezadeh,
New Yorker,
26 Apr. 2026
-
But whether a potential second film would try to acknowledge the abuse allegations against Jackson, including those at the center of a 2005 trial that ended in his acquittal on all counts, is unclear.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dry run.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dry%20run. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
