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
On Israel, a lot of candidates have clammed up.
—
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
The Arrested Development actor clammed up when Smartless cohost Jason Bateman brought up Arnett's ex-wife and their bathroom habits.
—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 June 2026
The atmosphere had changed—security kept an eye out for media to turn away at the entrance, and golfers clammed up when asked what was going on at the club.
—
Dan Alexander,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Everyone in the theater clammed up, as if embarrassed to have endorsed Max with laughter.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Your language model would clam up from time to time to conserve its resources.
—
Amanda Gefter,
Quanta Magazine,
10 Apr. 2026
Less sweat-trapping than many synthetic jackets, the Oreus kept me from clamming up while ski-touring in five-degree temps and dissipated sweat quickly when worn after strenuous climbs.
—
Kelly Bastone,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
But when co-host Maria McErlane looked for details, Norton clammed up.
—
Joseph Wilkinson,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
The 2025-26 campaign and postseason — the Bears are two wins away from next month’s Super Bowl LX after winning the division and beating the Packers twice — so far has made their snarky detractors clam up.
—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Naaman Zhou,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
The Arrested Development actor clammed up when Smartless cohost Jason Bateman brought up Arnett's ex-wife and their bathroom habits.
—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
22 June 2026
The atmosphere had changed—security kept an eye out for media to turn away at the entrance, and golfers clammed up when asked what was going on at the club.
—
Dan Alexander,
Forbes.com,
18 May 2026
Everyone in the theater clammed up, as if embarrassed to have endorsed Max with laughter.
—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 Apr. 2026
Your language model would clam up from time to time to conserve its resources.
—
Amanda Gefter,
Quanta Magazine,
10 Apr. 2026
Less sweat-trapping than many synthetic jackets, the Oreus kept me from clamming up while ski-touring in five-degree temps and dissipated sweat quickly when worn after strenuous climbs.
—
Kelly Bastone,
Outside,
10 Feb. 2026
But when co-host Maria McErlane looked for details, Norton clammed up.
—
Joseph Wilkinson,
Mercury News,
28 Jan. 2026
The 2025-26 campaign and postseason — the Bears are two wins away from next month’s Super Bowl LX after winning the division and beating the Packers twice — so far has made their snarky detractors clam up.
—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clam up
Verb
-
The brothers bonded over the game, but in his work, Grant so frequently provided a microphone for the voices a powerful organization would rather hush.
-
Behind the station doors are 150 polished European-style rooms, hushed corridors and a few magnificent surprises.
Verb
-
His foray into fiction coincided with the writers’ strike, drying up all his income and future projects.
-
Inside the front office, there is some sentiment internally to remaining patient and waiting to see if the market dries up on some players.
Verb
-
In one sketch, David as Bell makes the historic first phone call, but the guy on the other end won't shut up.
-
Dude, just leave — or stay and shut up!
Cite this Entry
“Clam up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clam%20up. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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