dry out

verb

dried out; drying out; dries out

intransitive verb

: to undergo an extended period of withdrawal from alcohol or drug use especially at a special clinic

Examples of dry out in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Let the flower heads turn brown and dry out on the stems. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025

Warmer temperatures increase evaporation, drying out rivers, reservoirs, soil and vegetation, and speeding up Earth’s water cycle as more water goes back into the air for precipitation. —John Leos, AZCentral.com, 3 Sep. 2025

If your containers excessively dried out during one of the recent spells of hot weather, your annuals may have been damaged and may need some tender loving care to recover. —Tim Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 30 Aug. 2025

Watch this video to see the rice-free way to dry out a soaked smartphone. —Cody Godwin, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1892, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for dry out

• about
• bailout
• blackout
• blowout
• breakout
• burnout
• buyout
• checkout
• closeout
• cutout
• devout
• dropout

Medical Definition

dry-out

1 of 2 adjective

ˈdrī-ˌau̇t 

: providing detoxification treatment

checked into a dry-out clinic

dry out

2 of 2 transitive verb

(ˈ)drī-ˈau̇t 

: to subject to withdrawal from the use of alcohol or drugs : detoxify sense 2

intransitive verb

: to undergo an extended period of withdrawal from alcohol or drug use especially at a special clinic : detoxify