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.
St. Aubin said he worries that healthcare may be holding up the labor market in terms of growth in jobs, and that job openings may be drying up.
From MarketWatch
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
Locals have been detained and released as leads have dried up.
From Los Angeles Times
Later, in fall 2023, after the October 7 attacks, that support dried up.
But as those goals have dried up, Villa's defence has held up, even if it is conceding too many chances.
From BBC
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.
