dry goods
plural noun
1
: grocery items (such as tobacco, sugar, flour, and coffee) that do not contain liquid
2
: textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and notions as distinguished especially from hardware and groceries
Examples of dry goods in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Free food: Receive dry goods and fresh produce at this walk-up distribution offered by Feeding San Diego at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 9 at the Poway Library, 13137 Poway Road.
—
Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2025
While Trader Joe’s certainly offers plenty of dry goods, produce, and proteins for home cooks, this grocery store chain’s real claims to fame are its beloved snack items and its impressive frozen-food options.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 20 June 2025
The foundation aid, comprising mostly dry goods such as pasta or lentils, requires gas and water to cook, both of which are hard to procure in Gaza.
—Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
The shops on this street used to sell things people actually needed—clothes, shoes, dry goods, groceries, hardware—not just tchotchkes.
—Literary Hub, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dry goods
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.
Pomerado News, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 June 2025
While Trader Joe’s certainly offers plenty of dry goods, produce, and proteins for home cooks, this grocery store chain’s real claims to fame are its beloved snack items and its impressive frozen-food options.
—Taylor Tobin, Southern Living, 20 June 2025
The foundation aid, comprising mostly dry goods such as pasta or lentils, requires gas and water to cook, both of which are hard to procure in Gaza.
—Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025
The shops on this street used to sell things people actually needed—clothes, shoes, dry goods, groceries, hardware—not just tchotchkes.
—Literary Hub, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dry goods
Cite this Entry
“Dry goods.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dry%20goods. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dry goods
plural noun
: cloth goods (as fabrics, lace, and ribbon)
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share