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!

Example Sentences

His own former theater company, Reprise, operated on a subscriber model, and the base of financial support to sustain it dried up, he said.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a warm October evening and the swaths of black mustard weed on the trail had completely dried up, leaving the towering stalks spindly and bare.

From Los Angeles Times

Measure A would double the quarter-cent sales tax that voters approved in 2017 for homeless services and extend the tax indefinitely, ensuring that a major funding stream won’t dry up in a few years.

From Los Angeles Times

During a drought, rivers and lakes dry up and the soil gets scorched, meaning it hardens and loses plant cover.

From BBC

But the wellspring of progressive cash that fueled Gascón’s run for office in 2020 has dried up when he needs it most for his flagging reelection bid.

From Los Angeles Times

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