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dry-clean

American  
[drahy-kleen] / ˈdraɪˈklin /

verb (used with object)

  1. to clean (garments, draperies, rugs, etc.) with a liquid other than water, as benzine or gasoline.

dry-clean British  

verb

  1. (tr) to clean (clothing, fabrics, etc) with a solvent other than water, such as trichloroethylene

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • dry-cleaner noun
  • dry-cleaning noun

Etymology

Origin of dry-clean

First recorded in 1810–20; back formation from dry cleaning

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.