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
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
When the team analysed the dried-up powder, they found it contained hematite, "giving the paste a deep red colour".
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2024
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
What I caught was a dried-up hedge apple.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
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.
