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

If the closure of the region’s waterways and the drying up of hydrocarbon exports become a lasting norm, that deal may come under strain. — Dina Esfandiary, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026

An emergeny fund provides a cushion if you're hit with a surprise expense or your usual source of income dries up. — Dan Avery, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026

The afternoon should dry up a bit more, but the breezy winds and clouds linger. — Joseph Dames, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

But the payments dried up in March 2026, and by April, MGM Excavating was off the job and owed nearly $4 million, much of which was earmarked for its subcontractors. — Robert Channick, Chicago Tribune, 27 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