shrivel

Verb

Verb Forms: shriveled, shriveling, shrivels, shrivelled, shrivelling

To wrinkle and contract, typically due to loss of moisture.
wither, as with a loss of moisture
- "The fruit dried and shriveled"
decrease in size, range, or extent
- "My courage shrivelled when I saw the task before me"
To collapse inward; to crumble.
To become wrinkled.
To draw into wrinkles.

Examples

His fingers were shriveled from being in the bath for too long.
His hopes began to SHRIVEL as his opponent kept playing bingos.
The hot sun shrivelled the leaves.
The plant shrivelled from lack of water.

Origin / Etymology

First recorded as shriveled (“shrivelled”), probably of North Germanic origin related to dialectal Swedish skryvla (“to wrinkle, shrivel”); perhaps ultimately related to Proto-Germanic *skrinkwaną (“to shrivel, shrink”) or *skrimpaną (“to shrink”).

Synonyms

shrink, shrivel up, wither

Scrabble Score: 13

shrivel: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
shrivel: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
shrivel: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

shrivel: valid Words With Friends Word