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.
Years ago, Eden earned anywhere from $500 to $1,500 a month from her songs getting slots on DSP editorial playlists; now, after the AI boom, that’s mostly dried up—Spotify’s lo-fi playlists spill with viral songs from suspicious profiles with no descriptions. Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 2 July 2025 When businesses can’t protect their merchandise, when families don’t feel safe using public transit and when tourists start skipping Chicago for other cities, tax revenues dry up. George Cardenas, Chicago Tribune, 1 July 2025 Fed Chair Powell on Wednesday agreed that the tipping point for broad consumer price increases could come this summer as inventories of pre-tariff warehoused goods dry up. David Goldman, CNN Money, 20 June 2025 Salt Lake City, for instance, only encompasses 70,000 acres, and the state is feverishly working to solve one of the West’s most challenging environmental crises as Great Salt Lake is drying up. Chris Dorsey, Forbes.com, 16 June 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

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Cite this Entry

“Dry up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dry%20up. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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