dry up
Britishverb
-
(intr) to become barren or unproductive; fail
in middle age his inspiration dried up
-
to dry (dishes, cutlery, etc) with a tea towel after they have been washed
-
informal (intr) to stop talking or speaking
when I got on the stage I just dried up
dry up!
-
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Much of that is bound for Asian countries, which have seen energy flows abruptly dry up, as prices spike and supplies shrink.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 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
For the weather to dry up, this pattern needs to change and a short-lived reprieve may be on the way.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026
Conditions were expected to dry up Friday and remain dry through the end of the month, Thompson said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026
As April turns into May and May into June, the leaves shrivel, the trees turn brown, and the river streams dry up.
From "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" by Loung Ung
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.
