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Glite Dictionary
⛔ Be used up 🏜️ Lose all water
to run dry

to run dry

7 3.7
To stop having any water, like a river or well
  • phrasal verb
  • /rʌn draɪ/
translation icon : secarse
  • The well has finally run dry, so yeah, there's just a little dribble left in there now.
  • well ran dry
  • river ran dry
  • aquifer runs dry

Beneath the desert sky, rivers run but soon run dry.

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Examples

  • The Pena's irrigation canals ran dry and the land died.

  • - Well, unfortunately, the well ran dry, and what are you gonna do?

    Brutal Season (2022)

  • Did the well run dry?

    Brutal Season (2022)

  • - The spring inside the wall could be running dry.

    Atlas (1961)

  • One day that well will run dry...

    Blog text (3)

  • The well's gonna run dry.

    The Second Chance (2006)

  • Water is life, and the wells are running dry.

    Blog text (11)

  • The real problem is that the well has run dry, and new versions of Windows won't fix this.

    Blog text (27)

  • You see, the streams would run dry in the summer and take away waterfront for well-heeled residents.

    Blog text (7)

  • The river will run dry if there is no rain for several months.

Synonyms

to dry
vsto run dry
570 1.0

To become free of water or wetness

refers specifically to a source becoming empty of liquid
to run out
vsto run dry
28 1.3

Water or other liquid flows out of a container by accident

describes loss of all water in a source rather than unintended outflow
to dry up
vsto run dry
19 2.7

To lose all water or moisture so it has none left

is used mainly for rivers, wells and similar natural sources becoming empty
to dry out
vsto run dry
11 2.4

To become dry or make something no longer wet

focuses on loss of all water rather than general moisture loss

Antonyms

to flow
259 1.6

To move smoothly and continuously, like people or traffic

to refill
63 1.3

To put more of something into a container that is empty or nearly empty

How Much

to flood
176 1.0
rush
518 1.8
to flow
333 1.0
to trickle
70 3.4
to run dry
7 3.7

Surface Forms

run dry infinitive
running dry present participle
runs dry third person singular
ran dry past
run dry past participle

Morphology

run + dry

The meaning 'to become empty/exhausted' is directly derivable from combining 'run' (to flow or move) with 'dry' (lacking liquid): something that 'runs dry' ceases to have liquid. This follows a common English compositional pattern (compare 'run out', 'run empty') and has clear parallels in other languages, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

Run dry comes from the simple image of water that runs away until a well or river is dry and has no more water. That's why it means 'to become empty of water'.