drying

American  

[drahy-ing] / ˈdraɪ ɪŋ /

adjective

1. causing dryness.

   a drying breeze.

2. designed to become or capable of becoming dry and hard on exposure to air.

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drying British  

/ ˈdraɪɪŋ /

noun

1. the action or process of making or becoming dry

2. Also called (not now in technical usage): seasoning.  the processing of timber until it has a moisture content suitable for the purposes for which it is to be used

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adjective

1. causing dryness

   a drying wind

Other Word Forms

• nondrying adjective
• undrying adjective

Etymology

Origin of drying

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; dry, -ing ²

Example Sentences

"By drying and heating the remaining material, we were able to measure the characteristic molecules of different types of plastics in the Utrecht laboratory, using mass spectrometry," Ten Hietbrink explains.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

As borrowing costs started moving higher, liquidity started drying up fast — pushing funds to cut their leverage.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

But without significant rain in the forecast for the rest of the month, the hot weather is likely to accelerate fuels drying out, Lewis said.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2026

The war has also hammered global markets and sent crude oil prices soaring by about a fifth in the week since fighting erupted, all but drying up shipping in the critical Strait of Hormuz.

From Barron's • Mar. 6, 2026

By the time I finished drying them, my stomach cramping had eased, but I didn’t feel hungry anymore.

From "Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus" by Dusti Bowling