CLAM UP Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

clam up

verb

Definition of clam up

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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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of clam up 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 See All Example Sentences for clam up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clam up

Verb

The park has already taken some steps to hush their new attraction.

— Lynette Rice, Deadline, 16 Sep. 2026
His lead trial attorney, Edward Bilinkas, a dapper New Jersey man then nearing seventy, had the courtroom delivery of a schoolteacher trying to hush nonsense at the back of the class by raising his own voice.

— Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

Definition of hush

Verb

But maintaining those programs has grown difficult as funding has dried up at the national, state and now local levels, Thompson said.

— Zoey Thomas, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026
This would be best done in late May and early June when the leaves are drying up.

— Dr. Matthew Lisy, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of dry up

Verb

These days we are surrounded by ghosts and gossamer visions vying for our attention, trying to tell us something vital—or as mundane as to shut up already, like in my case.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Sep. 2026
Talk is cheap, but today the automaker put up instead of shutting up by revealing a new Nissan Z concept with a factory T-top, a feature that vanished from sports cars over two decades ago.

— Joel Feder, The Drive, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of shut up

Browse Nearby Words

clams up

clam up

clan

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“Clam up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clam%20up. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of clam up

verb

Example Sentences

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