dry well

noun

1. a drainage pit lined with loose stonework for the leaching of liquid wastes.
2. absorbing well.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dry well¹

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

Let it dry well, and you can store valuables in the last place someone might look.

From Seattle Times

A Bend, Oregon, man who went missing on Christmas Day was found alive and in good condition in a dry well inside a gated storage unit facility, local police said.

From Washington Times

With an emphasis on diversity and flowers that dry well, she planted 20 varieties, including zinnias, statice, honeywort, sweet peas and cress, by using landscape fabric and a blowtorch to cut the fabric and prevent fraying.

From Los Angeles Times

The last time Hamioui remembers the country feeling so united was last February, when the plight of a 5-year-old boy who fell down a dry well captured the nation’s attention.

From Washington Post

This year, nearly 1,400 household wells have been reported dry — a nearly 40% increase over the same period last year, and the highest annual number reported since 2013, when the California Department of Water Resources launched the Dry Well Reporting System.

From Los Angeles Times