dry up

verb

dried up; drying up; dries up
Synonyms of dry upnext

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.
The Wild, in large part because Kaprizov and Boldy aren’t scoring, have dried up offensively. Michael Russo, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026 But Newman had a hunch that when soil dries up, the antibiotics bacteria use to wage war might become more potent, simply because of evaporation. Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 27 Mar. 2026 Ohio has seen fewer deaths but more risky behavior lately as fentanyl supplies dry up and people turn to substitutes tainted by animal tranquilizers. Kaitlin Coward, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2026 Law enforcement officials emphasized that the search for the 84-year-old remained an active investigation, although public announcements about new developments have dried up as of late. Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026 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 1 Apr. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster