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

See the Actors Who Have Played the Scooby Gang Members Through the Years Lillard’s offers dried up after Scooby-Doo 2, and the actor took years to reflect on the direction of his life and career. —Victoria Edel, People.com, 1 Nov. 2024

All that, plus the constant lure of other states’ higher tax incentives, has stifled the industry’s rebound, drying up job opportunities and sparking an exodus of film and TV workers. —Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 28 Oct. 2024

During this unexpected, almost complete shutdown in clinical volume, USAP supported our clinicians through cash reserves and management strategies that enabled new avenues of care, even when traditional revenue streams dried up for many independent practices. —Len Wright, Forbes, 10 Oct. 2024

Soon after, the giant was revealed as a hoax, and ticket sales dried up. —Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense