wither
v.v. to become dry and weak, or to slowly disappear. You use this when a plant dies from lack of water or when a person's confidence starts to fade.
v. to become dry and shrivelled, typically as a result of heat or lack of moisture; to lose vitality, force, or freshness. Often used metaphorically to describe the decline of abstract qualities like hope or influence.
The flowers will wither if you do not water them.
Without constant investment and care, the local community garden began to wither under the summer sun.
The senator watched his political support wither as the scandal deepened, eventually leaving him without enough allies to block the upcoming vote.
Intransitive when describing plants or abstract qualities; can be used transitively in literary contexts to mean 'to cause to shrivel'.