1
: grocery items (such as tobacco, sugar, flour, and coffee) that do not contain liquid
2
: textiles, ready-to-wear clothing, and notions as distinguished especially from hardware and groceries

Examples of dry goods in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The town was home to copper shops, a stove factory, three blacksmiths, a rye whisky distillery, a cheese factory, dry goods and general stores, and a wagon and carriage manufacturer. Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024 China One could have survived no soap at the handwash sink and way too much grease and food debris on a dry goods storage rack, the stove, fry canisters and hood filters. David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 23 Feb. 2024 Her father sold dry goods at a local market, and her mother was a homemaker. Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024 The producer and director was also named after his paternal grandfather, who once operated a dry goods store on Third Street in Downtown Cincinnati, according to an Enquirer article from 1982. Haadiza Ogwude, The Enquirer, 24 Jan. 2024 The Feed My Sheep Foodbank accepts dry goods and seeks volunteers for Thursday distributions. Crai S. Bower, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 Feb. 2024 Find it on Amazon These Rose Gold Containers Will Freshen Up the Kitchen Store your dry goods and keep your kitchen looking fresh and pretty with these canisters. Hannah Rice, Rolling Stone, 31 Jan. 2024 His father, Harry, was a clothing and dry goods merchant, and his mother, Sarah (Rudin) Wildes, worked in his store. Adam Nossiter, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2024 The containers work well for dry goods and liquids, too, and the snap-tight lids come in a few colors to help with organization. Amanda Ogle, Southern Living, 11 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dry goods.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1657, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of dry goods was in 1657

Dictionary Entries Near dry goods

Cite this Entry

“Dry goods.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dry%20goods. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

dry goods

noun plural
: cloth goods (as fabrics, lace, and ribbon)

More from Merriam-Webster on dry goods

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