as in to hush
to stop talking
the little girl clammed up when the doctor came into the room
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of clam up
Meet Them At Their Comfort Level Some CEOs are great at being conversational and engaging on video; others clam up and want to use a script—which severely limits any feeling of authenticity.
—
Elizabeth Baskin, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
While Lydia wallows in the residual pain, Paul has clammed up.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
While Lydia wallows in the residual pain, Paul has clammed up.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
Judges struggle to name favorite cheese Ask a judge to pick their favorite and most will clam up, dodge the question or offer a long, unranked list.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024
One social worker said that a girl clammed up in a recent interview that her mother was invited to.
—Scooty Nickerson, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
City clams up over chance of lawsuit Antoine Bryant, director of planning and development, apologized to City Council members for soliciting the contract to pay for the murals using city money without the nine-member body's approval, which is required.
—Detroit Free Press, 25 Jan. 2024
Jim Harbaugh will coach not to lose and clam up just enough to let Ohio State’s amazing skill talent pull the upset late.
—J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
When pandemic lockdowns clammed up her restaurant clientele, Ms. Brown began selling her oysters from her flatbed truck near her farm in Little Bay, New Hampshire.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2023
Elizabeth Baskin, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025
While Lydia wallows in the residual pain, Paul has clammed up.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
While Lydia wallows in the residual pain, Paul has clammed up.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
Judges struggle to name favorite cheese Ask a judge to pick their favorite and most will clam up, dodge the question or offer a long, unranked list.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024
One social worker said that a girl clammed up in a recent interview that her mother was invited to.
—Scooty Nickerson, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
City clams up over chance of lawsuit Antoine Bryant, director of planning and development, apologized to City Council members for soliciting the contract to pay for the murals using city money without the nine-member body's approval, which is required.
—Detroit Free Press, 25 Jan. 2024
Jim Harbaugh will coach not to lose and clam up just enough to let Ohio State’s amazing skill talent pull the upset late.
—J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
When pandemic lockdowns clammed up her restaurant clientele, Ms. Brown began selling her oysters from her flatbed truck near her farm in Little Bay, New Hampshire.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clam up
Verb
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Throughout January and February, the neighborhood’s streets were hushed, the Latin American restaurants emptier.—
Jordan Salama,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
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But the confidence and craftsmanship invested in Crash are, ultimately, the problem, because the infuriatingly contrived screenplay and hushed seriousness conspire to produce a risible portrait of complex social issues reduced to glib plot points.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Dry eye occurs when the eyes don't produce enough tears or when tears evaporate (dry up) too quickly.—
Sarah Hudgens,
Health,
17 May 2025
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Fire departments across the state are seeing recruitment efforts fall short and retirements or other opportunities dry up the ranks.—
Jason Cerrano,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 May 2025
Verb
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Peter firmly tells him to shut up, which is not unattractive.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
23 May 2025
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So that’s the biggest plan, is get a vet, just be a rookie, shut up and work.—
C. Isaiah Smalls II,
Miami Herald,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clam up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clam%20up. Accessed 1 Jun. 2025.
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