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.
The pub and deli owner claimed there had been a "war against tourism" and work for tradespeople was "slowly starting to dry up" as second home owners "haven't got the money to spend".
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
Inflows to private funds could dry up in coming months as wealth managers balk at committing client cash to them, given negative headlines about private credit and the ability to buy similar cheaper public funds.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
Even though most of the moisture from the recent rains has begun to dry up, experts say, it doesn’t hurt to apply insect repellent when outdoors.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026
This has always been true for the television crews and roving journalists, leveraging every last angle they can find as the leads dry up.
From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026
Like a flower, we will dry up here on earth.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
