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

Recovery efforts, meanwhile, started in earnest as parts of the state began drying out. — CBS News, 15 Aug. 2026

What you’re left with is a mass of sticky gunk which slowly thickens and then dries out, creating what the expert says is a rock-solid clog. — Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Aug. 2026

And those areas are then more likely to have more fuel to burn once things start to dry out whenever La Nina arrives. — Dana Taylor, USA Today, 10 Aug. 2026

This robbed the landscape of its natural replenishment that happens every spring and early summer when the snow melts and the waters run, leaving not only the grasses and shrubs dried out, but starving trees of moisture. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 10 Aug. 2026

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