as in quieting (down)
to stop talking
sick of her constant complaining, he angrily told her to dry up
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Recent Examples of drying up
In 2019, lawmakers approved a moratorium on new mines to protect the aquifer — and the streams and springs that flow from it — from drying up until further studies can be done.
—
Kayla Branch, The Frontier, 12 Jan. 2026
The health of the debt market is in sharp contrast to that of regional stock exchanges, where indices are lagging the US and emerging markets and the flow of IPOs is drying up.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 30 Dec. 2025
On Saturday, funding for SNAP federal food assistance drying up.
—ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
Local public health officials have also expressed concerns about funding drying up for WIC, which supports women, infants and children with nutritional assistance and other health services.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
But as water became scarce in the American Southwest, the allocation to Imperial Valley farmers was reduced, overflow stopped, and the Salton Sea started drying up.
—Big Think, 17 Oct. 2025
Lawmakers are bracing for another Senate vote attempting to end the government shutdown as the impact of funding drying up continues to ripple across the country nearly two weeks into the standoff.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
Once the washing is done, the drying system circulates warm air – 110 °F (43 °C) – through carpet fibers, drying up to 400 sq ft of carpet in around two hours.
—New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2025
The company filed for bankruptcy in 2020 as travel all but halted during the coronavirus pandemic, drying up demand for rental cars.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
Kayla Branch, The Frontier, 12 Jan. 2026
The health of the debt market is in sharp contrast to that of regional stock exchanges, where indices are lagging the US and emerging markets and the flow of IPOs is drying up.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 30 Dec. 2025
On Saturday, funding for SNAP federal food assistance drying up.
—ABC News, 2 Nov. 2025
Local public health officials have also expressed concerns about funding drying up for WIC, which supports women, infants and children with nutritional assistance and other health services.
—Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 30 Oct. 2025
But as water became scarce in the American Southwest, the allocation to Imperial Valley farmers was reduced, overflow stopped, and the Salton Sea started drying up.
—Big Think, 17 Oct. 2025
Lawmakers are bracing for another Senate vote attempting to end the government shutdown as the impact of funding drying up continues to ripple across the country nearly two weeks into the standoff.
—Bart Jansen, USA Today, 13 Oct. 2025
Once the washing is done, the drying system circulates warm air – 110 °F (43 °C) – through carpet fibers, drying up to 400 sq ft of carpet in around two hours.
—New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2025
The company filed for bankruptcy in 2020 as travel all but halted during the coronavirus pandemic, drying up demand for rental cars.
—Robert Ferris, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drying up
Verb
-
And this team is taking a particular delight in shutting up and shutting down their rivals.—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Sky News is shutting up shop on its dedicated business show after more than a decade.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
18 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
There are a lot of ways to declutter out there—the pile method and the discernment method are two of them, and now, everyone’s hushing their house.—
Quincy Bulin,
Southern Living,
28 Dec. 2025
-
Unfortunately, the austerity and elegance of the downstairs dining room acts as a dampener, hushing the salad’s brashness and sapping much of the fun.—
Helen Rosner,
New Yorker,
14 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Drying up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drying%20up. Accessed 22 Jan. 2026.
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