# dry up

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dry-up
Updated: 2026-08-27

## Senses

### 1. to lose water

phrasal verb · CEFR B1

to become completely dry because all the water has gone.

For teachers: to lose all moisture or water content, typically through evaporation or drainage.

- The small stream usually dries up during the hot summer months.
- After three years of record-breaking drought, the local reservoir began to dry up, forcing the municipality to implement strict water rationing.

Usage: Intransitive in this sense.

### 2. to stop being available

phrasal verb · CEFR B2

to slowly decrease and then stop completely, like money or work.

For teachers: to gradually diminish and eventually cease to exist or be available.

- Funding for the project dried up after the main investor pulled out.
- Job opportunities in the region dried up following the closure of the manufacturing plant, leading to significant outward migration.

Usage: Intransitive; often used with abstract nouns like 'funding', 'work', or 'ideas'.

### 3. to stop talking

phrasal verb · CEFR C1 · Informal

to stop speaking suddenly because you have forgotten what to say.

For teachers: to suffer a sudden loss of words or memory during a speech or performance.

- The actor dried up in the middle of the second act and needed a prompt.
- Despite weeks of rehearsal, the nervous student dried up completely as soon as she stepped onto the podium to address the assembly.

Usage: Intransitive; common in theatrical contexts.

### 4. to dry dishes

phrasal verb · CEFR B1 · British English

to use a cloth to dry plates and cups after they have been washed.

For teachers: to manually remove moisture from dishes and cutlery using a tea towel.

- If you wash the dishes, I will dry up.
- The children were assigned to dry up the silverware after the holiday dinner while the adults cleared the table.

Usage: Can be used transitively or intransitively.

## Examples

- The funding for our project will dry up next month.
- When the local factory closed, many jobs in the small town began to dry up.
- Foreign investment began to dry up as the political climate became increasingly unstable and unpredictable for international stakeholders.

## Usage notes

- Teaching tip: help students visualize the metaphor of a river or well losing water to understand why we use this for abstract things like 'money' or 'conversation'.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.