dried
B1Neutral
Definition
Meaning
Having had all or most moisture removed by a natural or artificial process.
No longer fresh, fresh liquid, or full of life; often implying preservation, concentration, or a hardened/desiccated state.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
"Dried" is the past participle and adjective form of the verb 'dry'. It focuses on the end state or process result rather than the ongoing action. It implies a completed transformation from a wet or moist condition to a dry one, often for a purpose (e.g., preservation).
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Primarily spelling in compounds where US English often uses single 'l' in verb-derived forms (e.g., 'dried-out' vs. 'dried out' is consistent). No significant usage difference for the base word.
Connotations
Identical in both dialects.
Frequency
Equally frequent.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
ADJ + NOUN (dried fruit)ADJ (The clothes are dried.)Verb + PP: dried (on, in, out, off)ADJ + PARTICIPLE: sun-dried, freeze-driedVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “cut and dried (predetermined, settled)”
- “high and dry (stranded, abandoned)”
- “dried up (stopped talking; run out of ideas/money)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
"The company's revenue stream dried up during the recession."
Academic
"The core samples contained microfossils and dried lakebed sediment."
Everyday
"I added some dried parsley to the soup."
Technical
"The lyophilised (freeze-dried) vaccine must be reconstituted before administration."
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- She dried the washing on the line.
- The ink hadn't dried properly.
American English
- I dried the dishes with a towel.
- His funding source dried up last quarter.
adverb
British English
- (Not standard; 'dried' is not used as an adverb.)
American English
- (Not standard; 'dried' is not used as an adverb.)
adjective
British English
- We need some dried lentils for the soup.
- He offered me a bouquet of dried lavender.
American English
- The trail was covered in dried mud.
- She prefers dried mango to fresh.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The clothes are dried in the sun.
- I eat dried apples.
- Add the dried herbs at the beginning of cooking.
- The lake had completely dried out during the summer.
- The manuscript was so dried and brittle it threatened to crumble.
- His enthusiasm for the project seemed to have dried up.
- The freeze-dried coffee retains more flavour than instant.
- The geopolitical analysis was far from cut and dried, with multiple variables in play.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of 'fried' but with a D: you DRy something and it becomes DRieD.
Conceptual Metaphor
ABSENCE OF LIQUID IS LIFELESSNESS / PRESERVATION (e.g., 'dried-up ideas', 'dried flowers')
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'сухой' (dry) for current state; 'dried' implies a process has happened. For 'сухофрукты' always use 'dried fruit', not 'dry fruit'.
- In phrases like 'the river dried up', translate conceptually as 'река пересохла', not literally word-for-word.
Common Mistakes
- Using 'dry' instead of 'dried' before a noun when the process is meant: 'I bought dry apricots' (ambiguous) vs. 'I bought dried apricots' (clear).
- Misspelling as 'drid' or 'dryed'.
Practice
Quiz
Which of the following uses 'dried' correctly in its idiomatic sense?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It can be both. It is the past tense and past participle of the verb 'to dry' (e.g., I dried my hair). It is also an adjective describing something that has undergone drying (e.g., dried pasta).
'Dry' is the base adjective describing a state (a dry towel). 'Dried' emphasizes the process that led to that state, implying a change from wet to dry (a dried towel = a towel that has been dried). 'Dried' is almost always used attributively before nouns (dried fruit) or as a participle after 'be' (it is dried).
The hyphenated form 'sun-dried' is standard when used as a compound adjective before a noun (sun-dried tomatoes). When not directly before a noun, it's often written without a hyphen (The tomatoes were sun dried).
Yes, informally. It can mean to stop talking suddenly ('He just dried up mid-sentence'), or to become physically wizened or lacking vitality ('an old, dried-up bureaucrat').