1
: very dry
2

Examples of bone-dry in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Hillsides were caked and brown, city streets were dotted with dead lawns, and wildfires raged throughout the state and region, feeding on bone-dry grass and shrubs. Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024 The result is Shin Godzilla, a bone-dry satire of government impotence and self-important bureaucrats that’s the most realistic installment in the series since the original. Katie Rife, EW.com, 28 Mar. 2024 Then, a bone-dry second half of the year and sparse early winter snow left the landscape parched. Time, 22 Aug. 2023 For the first time since 2005, a lake — called Lake Manly — has formed in Badwater Basin, an expanse of salt flats within the park that are usually bone-dry. Michael Charboneau, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 The famously bone-dry salt flats at the bottom of Death Valley National Park in California aren't the first spot where most experienced kayakers would expect to paddle out. USA TODAY, 27 Feb. 2024 Napa wineries produce world class dry Riesling on par with the finest bottles from Alsace, offering bone-dry freshness and flavors of peach and lemon with a hint of florality. Mike Desimone and Jeff Jenssen, Robb Report, 10 Jan. 2024 This is Bungie executives trying to squeeze blood from a bone-dry stone. Paul Tassi, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2023 The bone-dry Mid-Atlantic region desperately needed a soaking, and Tuesday’s storm delivered. Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bone-dry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bone-dry was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near bone-dry

Cite this Entry

“Bone-dry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bone-dry. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.

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