shrivel up
shriv‧el /ˈʃrɪvəl/ (also shrivel up) verb (past tense and past participle shrivelled, present participle shrivelling, shriveled, shriveling) [intransitive and transitive]
shriv‧el /ˈʃrɪv
əl/ (
also shrivel up)
verb (
past tense and past participle shrivelled,
present participle shrivelling British English,
shriveled,
shriveling American English)
[intransitive and transitive][
Date: 1500-1600;
Origin: Perhaps from a Scandinavian language]
if something shrivels, or if it is shrivelled, it becomes smaller and its surface becomes covered in lines because it is very dry or old:
The leaves change colour, then shrivel.—shrivelled British English—shriveled American English adjective:
a shrivelled apple [TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲