as in hushed
to stop talking
the little girl clammed up when the doctor came into the room
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Recent Examples of clammed up
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
But when co-host Maria McErlane looked for details, Norton clammed up.
—Joseph Wilkinson, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
The famously outgoing media personality clammed up, on air and off, thanks to a terrifying stranger.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
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
But when co-host Maria McErlane looked for details, Norton clammed up.
—Joseph Wilkinson, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026
The famously outgoing media personality clammed up, on air and off, thanks to a terrifying stranger.
—Ross Raihala, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clammed up
Verb
-
Tage Thompson’s voice was hushed when speaking to reporters.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
19 May 2026
-
Tima said the event opened up the eyes of many attendees about domestic violence, a conversation that is typically hushed in Caribbean households.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
The grant used to pay her salary had dried up.—
Darlene Superville,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
Sadly, the original MJB liners in my makeup archive have long dried up, but this new formula definitely lives up to my memory of them.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Homegrown star Bukayo Saka was dazzling fans on a weekly basis, new captain Martin Ødegaard pulled the strings in midfield and defenders Gabriel Magalhães and William Saliba shut up shop at the back.—
Thomas Schlachter,
CNN Money,
23 May 2026
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The core Mom skills — listening, caring, advising; maybe a little nagging, maybe shutting up — never go away.—
Andre Mouchard,
Daily News,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Clammed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clammed%20up. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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