dry up

verb

dried up; drying up; dries up

transitive verb

: to cut off the supply of

intransitive verb

1

: to disappear as if by evaporation, draining, or cutting off of a source of supply

2

: to wither or die through gradual loss of vitality

3

: to stop talking

Synonyms

• belt up [British]
• clam up
• dummy up
• hush
• pipe down
• quiet (down)
• shut up

Examples of dry up in a Sentence

sick of her constant complaining, he angrily told her to dry up

Recent Examples on the Web

But pandemic-era state and federal funds have dried up, and spending has continued to rise faster than collections, leading to the current structural imbalance. —Andrew Keatts, Axios, 4 Dec. 2024

It’s been a tough few years for the venture industry, with IPOs virtually drying up in late 2021 due, at the time, to rising inflation and interest rates. —Ari Levy, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2024

This month, sections of the Tempe and South canals will be dried up to remove silt and debris build up along a stretch of the waterway. —John Leos, The Arizona Republic, 30 Nov. 2024

Another goal is preventing more household wells from drying up as water levels decline. —Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense