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.
It would dry up the liquidity that comes with a national pool of traders and diminish the pool of expertise that determines prices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026
At the same time, waning interest could lead to Nvidia’s cash flow to dry up.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
Nongsa reservoir, which supplies water to Bakau Serip, where Dewi lives, would dry up over the next month with no rainfall, simulations by local environmental non-profit group Akar Bhumi Indonesia suggest.
From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026
That would eventually dry up, and Beach found himself in Hollywood, pairing with his brother.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
And the first time I hollered at him, telling him to dry up all that racket, he hushed.
From "Old Yeller" by Fred Gipson
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
