as in rehearsals
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
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Recent Examples of dry runs
Israel has intermittently launched such long-range airstrikes since July 2024, after a Houthi drone hit Tel Aviv, in combat missions that, especially in retrospect, served as dry runs for the June air war against Iran.
—
Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 24 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dry runs
Noun
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Following the video, Swift began sharing footage from the rehearsals and set of the video, letting us into her meticulous planning process.—
Brittany Spanos,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
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Mayer and Strong collaborated closely ahead of rehearsals with the three leads.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
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On September 24, Judge Smith permanently enjoined DHS from enforcing broad new immigration compliance conditions on a wide range of preparedness grants, ruling the agency had exceeded its statutory authority and failed to justify departing from longstanding grant practices.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
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On Monday, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act into law, requiring AI companies to disclose their safety practices while stopping short of mandating actual safety testing.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As always, there will be the market’s staple sessions, from catalogue holders’ previews to distributors’ line-ups and dedicated events for exhibitors.—
Lise Pedersen,
Variety,
3 Oct. 2025
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Both Avatar and Smashing Machine will host Thursday previews.—
Pamela McClintock,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dry runs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dry%20runs. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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