dry market

noun

A market selling clothing, electronics, etc. rather than fresh meat and produce.

Meanings

noundry market (plural dry markets)

plural dry markets

  1. A market selling clothing, electronics, etc. rather than fresh meat and produce.
  2. SingaporeA market selling fresh meat, produce and other goods with a dry floor (as opposed to a wet market).

    The HDB market of tomorrow will be a combination of stalls in shop units selling both fresh produce and a mini "dry" market for housewives to get her groceries and foodstuff.

    1982 August 7, “HDB's cool, dry markets”, in The Straits Times, Singapore
    1 more example

    The supermarket giant has just been given approval by the HDB to operate 24 hours a day. The ground floor will house a supermarket selling fresh and perishable goods, such as fish, meat, vegetables and fruits. Yokoso promises to provide a full range of fresh food supplies - a step towards the development of dry markets in housing estates proposed by the government lately.

    1983 January 16, “Round-the-clock shopping”, in Singapore Monitor
Cite this entry
APA

dry market. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dry%20market

MLA

“dry market.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dry%20market. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dry market,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dry%20market.

Source: dry market on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.