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

Consumers had been using home equity appreciation to finance consumption, but that source has now dried up. —Robert Barone, Forbes, 13 Sep. 2024

The myth begins in the Tang dynasty (618-907 C.E.), when China was suffering from extreme heat and unsavory conditions that saw crops dry up and villagers perish under the sun. —Michelle Tchea, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Sep. 2024

As the region’s secure blue collar jobs dried up, so did the local tax base — and as union membership dwindled, so did social cohesion. —Peter Certo, Orange County Register, 12 Sep. 2024

But the Long Beach Post, once hailed a model in the industry, went though an ugly round of layoffs and labor unrest as some of its funding dried up. —Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense