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

Because that falls short of a federal recommendation, the state would not qualify for interest-free federal loans to support those payments should the fund dry up. —Jessie Opoien, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2024

Organizations at the border have been stretched thin, and the San Diego migrant welcome center closed in February after funding dried up. —Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense