draɪ ʌp
neutral
intermediate
- Base verb:
- dry
- Particle:
- up
- Separable:
- Yes
What does "dry up" mean?
- To become completely dry.
- To stop talking or forget what one was going to say.
- To cease to exist or be available.
Examples
- The river dried up during the drought.
- Funding dried up after the first year.
- She dried up in the middle of her speech.
- Job opportunities in the area have dried up.
How to use it
Used literally for water and figuratively for money, opportunities, conversation.
Word order
Can be separated literally: 'dry the dishes up'. Usually intransitive figuratively.
Similar expressions
evaporate
run out
desiccate
Opposites
flood
overflow
replenish
Related phrasal verbs
- get up
To rise from bed after sleeping
- turn up
To increase the volume, heat, or intensity of something
- give up
To stop trying to do something, often because it is too difficult
- bring up
To mention or introduce a topic in conversation
- go up
To increase in price, level, or amount
- come up
To be mentioned or discussed
Use it in a practice answer
Try "dry up" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.