What Is The Past Tense For Dry?
The past tense for “dry” is dried. Dry is a regular verb, so it follows the standard rule of adding “-ed” to the base form of the verb dry.
But for verbs with a “y” ending, we need to change the “y” to “i” before adding “ed,” like the verb shy.
The past participle of “dry” is also dried. It is used in perfect tenses and passive voice constructions. You can take a look at the table below to get more verb conjunctions of dry.
| Base/Infinitive Form (V1) | dry |
| Present Form/3rd Person/Singular Form | dries |
| Past Form (V2) | dried |
| Past Participle Form (V3) | dried |
| Present Participle/Gerund | drying |
How To Pronounce Dry And Dried Correctly?
According to the Oxford Learners Dictionary, dry has the IPA transcription /draɪ/ in both British and American accents. The past tense dried is pronounced as /draɪd/. You can watch the table below to make it clearer.
| Verb Forms | Pronunciation | |
| British English language | American English language | |
| dry | /draɪ/ | /draɪ/ |
| dried (V2) | /draɪd/ | /draɪd/ |
| dried (V3) | /draɪd/ | /draɪd/ |
| drying | /draɪɪŋ/ | /draɪɪŋ/ |
How to pronounce “dry” and “dried” exactly as English native speakers? You can refer to the following videos:
How to say dry:
How to say dried:
What Are The Definitions Of Dry? How To Use Dried?
“Dried” has the same meaning as “dry” in the sense that both words refer to the act of trying to remove liquid or moisture from something.
The past tense is used to describe actions that have already happened in the past.
The verb dry has some other meanings that can be used based on the context. Below are all its meanings:
- To remove moisture or liquid from something (transitive verb)
I dried my wet clothes on the radiator.
I washed my clothes yesterday and hung them outside to dry. By evening, they had dried completely in the sun and fresh air.
- To become free of moisture or liquid (intransitive verb)
The grass has dried due to the scorching sun.
I left the wet towel on the radiator overnight, and by the morning it had completely dried out.
- To become dehydrated
She became thirsty and dried up quickly.
After running the marathon in the hot sun, he became extremely thirsty and felt like his throat had completely dried out.
- To remove money from a business or bank account
The company’s cash reserves were dried up by the recession.
The business expenses were high last month, so they dried up their cash reserves to pay their bills.
- To become exhausted or depleted
His energy dried up after checking all his daily emails.
After working non-stop for several days, he felt completely dried out and had no energy left for anything else.
- To make something boring/uninteresting
The long lecture dried up the students’ interest in the topic.
The speaker’s monotone voice and lack of enthusiasm dried out the otherwise fascinating topic.
- To preserve food by removing moisture
The chef dried the beef to make beef jerky.
She dried out the fruits in the sun for a few days, and they turned into delicious, sweet snacks.
Exercises
FAQs
What Are English Phrasal Verbs And Idioms With Dry?
Phrasal verbs with dry:
- Dry up: to become dry or to make something dry
Example: The sun dried up the puddles on the ground.
- Dry out: to remove the moisture from something, or to become less intoxicated
Example: I left my wet shoes in the sun to dry out.
- Dry off: to dry oneself or someone else with a towel
Example: After swimming, we dried off with towels.
Idioms with dry:
- Dry as a bone: extremely dry, with no moisture
Example: The desert was dry as a bone, with no sign of rain for months.
- Dry run: a practice or rehearsal to test a process or system without actually doing it in real
Example: We did a dry run of the presentation to make sure the fascinating story would be presented smoothly.
- Dry wit: a type of humor that is sarcastic, subtle, and often clever
Example: His dry wit always made me laugh, even when I was feeling down.
What Are Synonyms And Antonyms Of Dry?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the synonyms of the verb dry are: dehydrate, evaporate, wither, desiccate, parch, drain, dehumidify, deflate, and toast.
The antonyms of the verb dry are: dampen, moisten, wet, soak, saturate, hydrate, humidify, waterlog, and immerse.
Is Dry An Adjective?
Yes, the English verb “dry” is primarily an adjective. Below are some of the main meanings of “dry” as an adjective, along with examples of how it can be used:
- Lacking moisture or water
Example: The drought has caused the river to run dry. (See past tense of run here)
- Lacking enthusiasm or emotion
Example: The speaker’s dry delivery made the audience lose interest.
- Straightforward and matter-of-fact
Example: He gave a dry account of the events leading up to the accident.
- Lacking alcohol or sweetness
Example: He ordered a dry martini with extra olives.
- Lacking in natural or fluid movement
Example: His dry cough made it difficult for him to sleep.
His name is Benjamin Essek – The founder of Grammar Wiki. He is an English native speaker and has joined many English classes, learning communities to support other people with this common language as well.