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

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.
If that income stream dries up, whether due to job loss, market shifts, or economic downturns, you’re left scrambling. Melissa Houston, Forbes, 4 Mar. 2025 Relatedly, support for elections—a key hallmark of democratic processes—has dried up as well, shrinking by eight percentage points across 30 nations during the same time period. Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 3 Mar. 2025 After the ocean dried up, the beaches were likely blanketed by volcanic eruptions and material from dust storms, effectively preserving the shoreline, Cardenas said. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 28 Feb. 2025 Hydrants dried up largely because systems were designed to deal with individual structure fires, not widespread wildfires involving thousands of buildings. Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 28 Feb. 2025 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 11 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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