# dry run

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/dry-run
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A practice or rehearsal; especially, one that goes through all the motions of a physical process but without the raw material or workpiece present.

## Examples

- We did a dry run before the big presentation.
- The theater group did a dry run of the play without costumes or lights.
- Engineers conducted a final dry run of the launch sequence, checking every system without fuel in the tanks.

## Origin

From dry (“impotent; harmless”) + run. First attested in print in 1941, but apparently much older in spoken English. (disputed)

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.