drying

verb

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 Uniqlo offers Airism, a collection of light, smooth innerwear, T-shirts and casualwear designed to be cool-to-the-touch, moisture-wicking and fast-drying. — David Moin, Footwear News, 2 Sep. 2026 Air drying removes moisture and concentrates the herb’s flavor. — Helen Carefoot, Flow Space, 31 Aug. 2026 Niutech claims its process can accept low-value plastic waste without requiring the complex washing, sorting and drying processes commonly associated with recycling. — Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026 Sea salt gives hair that tousled texture, while red microalgae extract helps counteract the drying effects of salt. — Christa Joanna Lee, Allure, 28 Aug. 2026 Seabrooke said that even day-to-day activities—like washing with too-hot water, heat damage, rough towel drying, and genetics—can all play into hair that’s more staticky than silky. — Jenny Berg, Vogue, 28 Aug. 2026 If your microfiber cloth gets too damp when drying, immediately swap it out for a dry one. — Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 28 Aug. 2026 The Audi pair almost had a similar problem when Gabriel Bortoleto spun on a greasy but drying track that also caught out and wrecked Verstappen on the opening lap. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026 While the lack of ventilation can provide just the opposite effect, keeping the shower curtain closed promotes a more even drying process for the liner. — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 23 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drying
  1. scorching
  2. fading
  3. parching
  4. withering
  5. dehydrating
  6. wilting
  7. draining
  8. desiccating
Verb
  • Persistent drought and scorching heat this summer have ravaged ecosystems and businesses across the region, from a lake in Slovenia and the side channel of the Danube in Serbia, to fish farms in Bosnia, the Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026
  • While cooler fall days may be on the horizon, many students returning to school are still dealing with scorching end-of-summer temperatures.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of scorching
Verb
  • The historic watchmaker, which clocked nearly two centuries in the industry before fading into obscurity in the early 1990s, has officially relaunched with the help of Breitling.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2026
  • The possibility of finding survivors ​elsewhere ⁠was fading, authorities said, but there was no letup in rescue operations as teams scoured the mountainside along the border with China where floods tore through towns and valleys.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 2 Sep. 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
  • Some reports suggested Bonta’s office sought the negotiations amid withering political pressure.
    — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Everything was growing all at once, all over the place, blooming, withering, and crashing to the earth.
    — Kendra Nordin Beato, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of withering
Verb
  • In addition to air-frying, the Joule also has toasting, baking, broiling, roasting, proofing, reheating, slow cooking, warming and dehydrating functions, as well as settings for bagels, pizza and cookies.
    — BestReviews, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Guidance from Michigan State University recommends pretreating fruit by soaking it in a mixture of vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and cold water, and steam blanching vegetables before dehydrating them.
    — Lauren Schuster, Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of dehydrating
Verb
  • In the fall different flowers, the last of the season, will be finally wilting.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Sinner, who needed the title to complete a career Grand Slam of his own, lost to Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerúndolo from the verge of victory, wilting in the heat of Paris and with no little help from an illness.
    — James Hansen, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of wilting
Verb
  • Sadly, the production was a downer, draining Kushner’s masterpiece of color and humor and inserting, in their place, gloomy projections of cityscapes and, unaccountably, David Bowie songs.
    — Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Use a sunny spot, well-draining soil, and regular watering to keep mint thriving.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of draining
Verb
  • Suddenly, pest populations are large enough to make a meaningful impact, and one too many afternoons of 100+ degree weather have begun desiccating leaves.
    — Anthony Reardon, Kansas City Star, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Improving safety in the field Key innovations for the new tissue include the ability to hold water at room temperature for months on end without desiccating or needing refridgeration.
    — Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 July 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 5 Sep. 2026.

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