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

Examples of dry up in a Sentence

sick of her constant complaining, he angrily told her to dry up
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Lawmakers are bracing for another Senate vote attempting to end the government shutdown as the impact of funding drying up continues to ripple across the country nearly two weeks into the standoff. Bart Jansen, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025 Once the washing is done, the drying system circulates warm air – 110 °F (43 °C) – through carpet fibers, drying up to 400 sq ft of carpet in around two hours. New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2025 Perhaps most surprising is that even their production of top-class goalkeepers seems to have dried up. Michael Cox, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025 But their cash supply eventually dried up and major investors lost interest in them — leading to a huge crash that devastated the whole market. Julie Coleman, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for dry up

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of dry up was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dry up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dry%20up. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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