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

Example Sentences

sick of her constant complaining, he angrily told her to dry up
Recent Examples on the Web Rather, advertisers are panicking as traditional sources of data dry up. Tatum Hunter, Washington Post, 6 Feb. 2023 In addition to causing villages to flood and food sources to dry up, that’s also melting the permafrost that lies under the tundra’s surface, threatening infrastructure. Wes Siler, Outside Online, 2 Feb. 2023 But up and down the typically mighty river, drought is causing the waters to dry up. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Nov. 2022 Uh, will the money dry up? Quartz Staff, Quartz, 10 Mar. 2023 That's a 21 percent increase from 2021 and the most money Tesla has made from regulatory credits, despite fears that the introduction of EVs from traditional OEMs would cause this to dry up. Jonathan M. Gitlin, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2023 Figuring out a more cost-effective method of delivering tutoring is key given the fiscal cliff districts face once relief funds dry up. Alia Wong, USA TODAY, 22 Nov. 2022 Claims by Rapp and others saw career opportunities for Spacey dry up. Georg Szalai, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Nov. 2022 Investors are calling on multilateral lenders to do more to support countries that are struggling to repay debts as global funding conditions dry up. Prinesha Naidoo, Bloomberg.com, 13 Oct. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dry up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Dictionary Entries Near dry up

Cite this Entry

“Dry up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dry%20up. Accessed 8 Jun. 2023.

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