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 of dry up

• quiet (down)
• hush
• clam up
• shut up
• settle (down)
• pipe down
• cool (down)
• calm (down)

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 without reforms, that fund will likely dry up and future fire victims seeking compensation may be forced to deal with utilities filing for bankruptcy. — Linh Tat, Daily News, 14 Aug. 2026

Elsewhere in Europe, rivers crucial to transporting key commodities are drying up. — Bloomberg, Fortune, 11 Aug. 2026

However, the future of the program is currently uncertain, as funding dries up. — Anne Ewbank, Sacbee.com, 11 Aug. 2026

The town saw a steady drop in population as job opportunities dried up. — ABC News, 8 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for dry up

• backup
• blowup
• breakup
• buildup
• checkup
• cleanup
• holdup
• hookup
• lineup
• lockup
• makeup
• markup