dried-up
Americanadjective
-
depleted of water or moisture; gone dry.
a dried-up water hole.
-
shriveled with age; wizened.
a dried-up old mule skinner.
Etymology
Origin of dried-up
First recorded in 1810–20
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It was immortalized by the composer Johann Strauss II as “The Blue Danube,” but the views from today’s cruise-ship windows are heavy on the grey-brown hues of dried-up riverbeds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
They cannot afford to waste energy searching dried-up flowers for nectar and pollen that is no longer there.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
With multiple trail options, the hillsides of this dried-up river valley are rife with vibrant blooms, particularly bush sunflowers and lacy phacelia.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 17, 2026
Ingenuity remains in contact with its companion, the Perseverance rover, which has been exploring a dried-up riverbed for signs of extinct Martian life.
From New York Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
I find a solitary cat’s eye marble rolling around at the back of the drawer, and some old dried-up chestnuts.
From "Cat's Eye" by Margaret Atwood
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
