as in to evaporate
to become small and wrinkly usually as a result of dehydration
Without irrigation, these plants would shrivel (up) and die.
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Recent Examples of shrivel
The Great Salt Lake has been shriveling up for decades.
—
Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
Winter The goal in winter is to water cacti just enough to prevent them from shriveling and wrinkling.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2026
While watering too often can lead to mushy leaves and root rot, watering too little will cause the leaves to turn brown and shrivel up.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 16 Feb. 2026
Before kick-off, their home record is identical to Newcastle’s away — won two, drawn four, lost six — but when the game begins, the similarities shrivel.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shrivel
Evan Bush, NBC news, 7 Mar. 2026
Winter The goal in winter is to water cacti just enough to prevent them from shriveling and wrinkling.
—Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2026
While watering too often can lead to mushy leaves and root rot, watering too little will cause the leaves to turn brown and shrivel up.
—Madeline Buiano, Martha Stewart, 16 Feb. 2026
Before kick-off, their home record is identical to Newcastle’s away — won two, drawn four, lost six — but when the game begins, the similarities shrivel.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for shrivel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for shrivel
Verb
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In that moment, all the troubles that Springsteen and the audience had commiserated over during the first third of the concert evaporated into a place of uninhibited, joyous nostalgia.—
Ben Crandell,
Sun Sentinel,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Burnley were attempting to maintain their Premier League status at least until the weekend, but belief among the fanbase had evaporated a long time ago.—
Andy Jones,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Pirro described the operations as highly organized, industrial-scale fraud hubs that attract victims with fake cryptocurrency investments and romance scams, often draining life savings.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
23 Apr. 2026
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Basins, aquifers, and other natural storage systems have been drained past recovery in our lifetimes, and one analyst warns markets aren’t taking the matter seriously enough.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Spray dry toilet paper with cleansing, soothing and refreshing Pristine to create an instant wet wipe that is actually flushable and safe for your sewer and septic systems.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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Installing houses beneath an overhanging roofline helps keep the bee homes dry.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Tomatoes grow, then wither Guelleh can bear witness to the hope - and the letdown.—
Julie Bourdin,
NPR,
11 Apr. 2026
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Months after its withering box-office performance, Costner defended his position.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Lakers were connected, apparently having had time to adjust to the loss of their two leading scorers, LeBron James acting as a brilliant playmaker for scorching hot shooters like Kennard, who hit all five of his treys in scoring a career playoff-high 27 points.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
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After Freddie Freeman scorched a two-out triple to left-center, Karros robbed Hernandez of extra bases with a diving stop and a perfect throw to first for the out.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Demolition and recovery operations will resume Sunday morning at the site of the parking garage that partially collapsed this week in Grays Ferry.—
Ryan Hughes,
CBS News,
12 Apr. 2026
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As bat populations have collapsed, farmers have turned to more expensive and less effective alternatives like pesticides.—
Leah Campbell,
Hartford Courant,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
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An underwatered monstera may have wilted, curled, yellowing, or browning leaves.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
7 Apr. 2026
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Add the spinach and stir until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Garments spanning nylon half-zips to French Terry sweatshirts, garments look faded and worn-in and feature hallmarks of denim like whiskers, creases, abrasions and breakages that tell stories of time and use.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
24 Apr. 2026
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It's become the default mode of governing for majorities in Congress as bipartisanship on major issues fades away.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Shrivel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shrivel. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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