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 in recent years, Morton felt the opportunities to appear in major Hollywood movies were drying up. — Brent Lang, Variety, 18 July 2026

Client travel funds dried up during the 2008 financial crisis, and of course many advisors were forced to either close, sell or retool their businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. — Jacques Ledbetter, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026

Because cap space around the NBA has dried up, Watson’s best chance to get paid is via sign-and-trade, inking a new contract with the Nuggets, who would then simultaneously flip him to his new team. — Fred Katz, New York Times, 16 July 2026

But county funding dried up this year, forcing the conservation authority to reintroduce the parking fee. — Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 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