shrivel

verb

shriv·el | \ ˈshri-vəl

, especially Southern ˈsri-\

shriveled or shrivelled; shriveling or shrivelling\ ˈshri-vəl-iŋ

, ˈsri- ; ˈshriv-liŋ , ˈsriv- \

Definition of shrivel

intransitive verb

1 : to draw into wrinkles especially with a loss of moisture

2a : to become reduced to inanition, helplessness, or inefficiency

b : dwindle

transitive verb

: to cause to shrivel

Examples of shrivel in a Sentence

plants shriveling in the heat

Recent Examples on the Web

The cut off poison ivy vines remaining in the hedges will shrivel up and die and can be removed. — Dan Gill, NOLA.com, "Get rid of poison ivy by cutting the vine close to the ground," 6 Apr. 2019 Some dairy farmers may consider switching to higher-value products like nuts, but their margins are shriveling, too. — Allysia Finley, WSJ, "California Farmers Are Trade-War Casualties," 19 Sep. 2018 The result is that the misfolded proteins can no longer function properly, which triggers a range of strange outcomes, such as square eyes or shriveled wings in fruit flies. — Quanta Magazine, "Under Pressure, Does Evolution Evolve?," 15 Jan. 2014 As communication had shrivelled, misunderstandings mushroomed. — The Economist, "The world almost ended in 1983," 5 May 2018 Glyphosate, the most widely used herbicide in the world, has become a go-to product for farmers, landscapers and homeowners because of its ability to shrivel dozens of different weed species. — Jacob Bunge, WSJ, "Judge Reduces Jury Award Against Bayer’s Roundup to $78.5 Million," 23 Oct. 2018 And to top it all off, most physical-keyboard fans have just had to learn to just get used to on-screen keyboard life as their options for alternatives have gradually shriveled down to almost nothing. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "The Keyboard Phone Just Will Not Die," 28 Feb. 2019 Moreover, the company’s market value already had shriveled by more than $340 billion—or 31%—since the company last reported results. — Dan Gallagher, WSJ, "Apple Drops Its iPhone Call," 2 Jan. 2019 The offshore yuan bond market has shriveled in size, FTSE data shows, and the yuan’s share of global payments has receded, according to figures from the Swift banking network. — Saumya Vaishampayan, WSJ, "Dominant Dollar Bests Challengers," 20 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'shrivel.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.