drying

verb

present participle of dry
1
as in scorching
to make dry the wind quickly dried their clothes

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in fading
to lose liveliness, force, or freshness his creative talents were just drying on the vine in that small, provincial town

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of drying Place the bottle parts on a drying rack or a clean towel with the mouth of the bottle facing down. — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 July 2026 Scientists at Pennsylvania State University have developed a novel conductive ink that can be painted directly onto the skin in colorful custom designs, turning into a functional electrode for biomonitoring after drying. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 14 July 2026 Spray with hydrogen peroxide and wait 10 minutes before rinsing and drying. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 14 July 2026 The National Weather Service said in its daily forecast summary for the region Sunday that fire weather concerns would increase later Sunday into Monday, with the potential for dry lightning, rapidly drying fuels, and gusty winds. — Carlos E. Castañeda, CBS News, 12 July 2026 Rabbit’s wide-leg EZ Pants are made of a silky, breathable blend of polyester and spandex, which keeps them airy and lends to their impressive quick-drying and anti-chafing properties. — Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 10 July 2026 The toxins in the fungi, called amatoxins, cannot be removed by boiling, cooking or drying the mushrooms, and can result in liver failure and death if consumed. — Sacbee.com, 8 July 2026 Pair with a bundle of eucalyptus and let your stress melt away like the water will from this quick-drying mat. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 7 July 2026 Without a slow-melting blanket of snow to keep the soil and forests moist, alpine vegetation is drying into a tinderbox earlier than normal and ramping up the fire risk. — Jasmine Garland, The Conversation, 7 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drying
  1. scorching
  2. fading
  3. parching
  4. withering
  5. dehydrating
  6. wilting
  7. draining
  8. desiccating
Verb
  • Often if calcium levels in the soil are too low, plants would also be exhibiting signs of deficiency including stunted growth, curling of leaves and perhaps spotting or scorching on leaves.
    — Dawn Pettinelli, Hartford Courant, 19 July 2026
  • But beyond the numbers — buoyed by a scorching 7 of 9 showing in two games at the California Classic — his form looks sound.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 19 July 2026
Definition of scorching
Verb
  • Bullish risk reversal In an attempt to capitalize on the historically expensive downside SPCX options and position for a violent snap-back, this risk reversal seeks to finance upside exposure by fading the put skew.
    — Jeff Kilburg, CNBC, 17 July 2026
  • Designed to resist fading from chlorine and sunscreen, the material will stay intact for many summers to come.
    — Alexandra Malmed, InStyle, 16 July 2026
Definition of fading
Verb
  • Many of them, like Tubbs, were refugee Midwesterners, sick of parching droughts and devouring plagues of locusts, the insects descending in buzzing clouds thick enough to blacken the noonday sun.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 July 2026
  • Alegria also sees wild rice production growing using the traditional Indigenous methods of drying, parching, dancing and winnowing at rice camps in northern Wisconsin.
    — Frank Vaisvilas, jsonline.com, 4 Dec. 2025
Definition of parching
Verb
  • The truth was that all of it was, and is, simply withering away.
    — Ann Manov, Harpers Magazine, 30 June 2026
  • Among the other Paris attractions to close amid the withering heat are Notre-Dame de Paris, which closed its towers earlier this week, and the Palais de Tokyo, which has shuttered its exhibitions entirely from June 22 through June 27.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 24 June 2026
Definition of withering
Verb
  • Caffeine and alcohol both have dehydrating effects, so drink alcohol in moderation and alternate every drink with water or another non-alcoholic option.
    — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 6 July 2026
  • Caffeine and alcohol both have dehydrating effects, so drink alcohol in moderation and alternate with non-alcoholic drinks throughout the day.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 6 July 2026
Definition of dehydrating
Verb
  • Alcaraz missed this year's French Open — and Wimbledon — with a wrist injury, and Sinner was eliminated in the second round in Paris after wilting in the heat.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 July 2026
  • Unfortunately, hydrangeas are notorious for wilting quickly once cut, and keeping them looking fresh can prove difficult.
    — Samantha Johnson, Martha Stewart, 6 July 2026
Definition of wilting
Verb
  • Fabricating a purely electromechanical robot at the millimeter scale requires intricate, heavy motors that consume significant power, typically draining tiny batteries within mere minutes of operation.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 18 July 2026
  • Roses require nutrient-rich, well-draining soil for healthy growth.
    — Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 16 July 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • Another advantage of long and narrow leaves is their ability to withstand heavy rainfall and battering or desiccating winds.
    — Joshua Siskin, Oc Register, 4 June 2026
Definition of desiccating

Browse Nearby Words

dry-cleans
drying
drying up
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drying. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on drying

Nglish: Translation of drying for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All