dry up

verb

1. (intr) to become barren or unproductive; fail

   in middle age his inspiration dried up

2. to dry (dishes, cutlery, etc) with a tea towel after they have been washed

3. informal,  (intr) to stop talking or speaking

   when I got on the stage I just dried up

   dry up!

Idioms and Phrases

Gradually become unproductive, as in After two collections of short stories, his ability to write fiction dried up . Also see well's run dry .

Stop talking; also, cause to stop talking. For example, Dry up! You've said enough . [ Slang ; mid-1800s]

Example Sentences

If there is a sense that Venezuelan exports would totally dry up, “the loss of heavy oil, even though small, will be felt.”

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

He described “a slow-motion deflation” as a large number of generative artificial intelligence projects have failed and venture capital has dried up for some startup companies.

Read more on MarketWatch

The sun was scorching, the fields were baking, the pond was drying up, and foul odors were floating all throughout the dairy.

Read more on Literature

Investment in the race has largely dried up, defying grandiose plans to raise tens of millions from worried megadonors.

Read more on Salon

Ms Miller is worried about what happens to those 14,000 Snap recipients after their payouts dry up this weekend.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• abate 
• curb 
• curtail 
• cut down 
• decline 
• depreciate 
• deteriorate 
• diminish 
• drop 
• drop off 
• dwindle 
• ease 
• ebb 
• fall off 
• lessen 
• lower 
• reduce 
• shrink 
• sink 
• slacken