dry up
B2Neutral to informal, depending on context.
Definition
Meaning
To become completely dry, to lose all moisture or liquid.
To stop producing or supplying something; to cease to exist or be available; to become unable to speak, especially from nervousness or emotion.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Primarily a phrasal verb. The 'cease to exist' meaning is often used for resources, ideas, or conversation. The 'become unable to speak' meaning is idiomatic and informal.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. The 'become unable to speak' meaning (e.g., 'I dried up during the speech') is slightly more common in British English.
Connotations
Identical in both varieties.
Frequency
Equally common in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[Subject] dries up (intransitive)[Subject] dries [Object] up (transitive, less common)Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Dry up! (slang, imperative: be quiet)”
- “The well has dried up (no more resources/ideas).”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Investment dried up after the scandal.
Academic
The primary historical sources for that period have largely dried up.
Everyday
Can you dry up the dishes for me? (UK: dry dishes with a towel).
Technical
The aquifer is predicted to dry up within a decade.
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The summer was so hot that the village pond completely dried up.
- He dried up when the interviewer asked a difficult question.
- I'll wash, you dry up.
American English
- Funding for the project dried up after the first quarter.
- The actor dried up on stage, forgetting his lines.
- Several wells have dried up due to the drought.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The puddle dried up in the sun.
- Please dry up the plates.
- If the rain doesn't come, the river might dry up.
- My mind dried up during the exam.
- Tourist traffic to the region dried up after the political unrest.
- She started her speech confidently but then dried up completely.
- The stream of innovative proposals from the department seems to have dried up indefinitely.
- Once a prolific writer, her output has tragically dried up in recent years.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a riverbed under a hot sun. The water vanishes, and the riverbed becomes just dry, cracked earth – it has 'dried up'.
Conceptual Metaphor
RESOURCES/IDEAS ARE LIQUIDS (sources dry up, flow of ideas). COMMUNICATION IS A FLOW (conversation dries up).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Do not confuse with 'сушить' (to dry something actively). 'Dry up' is usually intransitive and means a process ending by itself. 'Dry up the dishes' is a notable UK-specific transitive exception.
Common Mistakes
- Using it transitively incorrectly (e.g., 'The sun dried up the lake' is okay, but 'The funding was dried up' is less idiomatic than 'The funding dried up').
Practice
Quiz
In a UK kitchen, if someone asks you to 'dry up', what do they want you to do?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
It is neutral but can be informal, especially the 'become unable to speak' meaning. In formal writing, alternatives like 'cease', 'diminish', or 'desiccate' might be preferred.
Yes, but less commonly. The intransitive use ('The river dried up') is standard. A transitive use exists, often in British English for drying dishes ('dry up the plates') or meaning 'to cause to dry up' ('The drought dried up the wells').
'Dry out' often implies removing dampness or moisture from something (e.g., dry out wet clothes, dry out after flooding). 'Dry up' implies a total loss of liquid, often leading to a cessation of function or supply (a well dries up, not dries out).
It's a dated, informal, and somewhat rude slang command meaning 'Be quiet!'. It's not commonly used in polite modern conversation.