dry up
Britishverb
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(intr) to become barren or unproductive; fail
in middle age his inspiration dried up
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to dry (dishes, cutlery, etc) with a tea towel after they have been washed
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informal (intr) to stop talking or speaking
when I got on the stage I just dried up
dry up!
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Gradually become unproductive, as in After two collections of short stories, his ability to write fiction dried up . Also see well's run dry .
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Stop talking; also, cause to stop talking. For example, Dry up! You've said enough . [ Slang ; mid-1800s]
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.
"Dry up, baby!" said Jack, through his teeth.
From The Drummer Boy by Trowbridge, J. T. (John Townsend)
"Dry up, Mahdi, an' get on your perch," cried Madame Thunder, "The Professor's openin' up."
From The Missing Link by Dyson, Edward
Dry up your tears, my little man, and come with me, and, the cook, I dare say, will be able to get some oysters before dinner.
From Young Folks Treasury, Volume 3 (of 12) Classic Tales and Old-Fashioned Stories by Mabie, Hamilton Wright
"Dry up, Mike!" returned Frank with a grin.
From The Enchanted Canyon by Morrow, Honoré
Dry up, Bicky," came the president's rebuke, "and go and turn away those kids who are making a row with their feet in the corridor.
From Tell England A Study in a Generation by Raymond, Ernest
Definitions 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.
