clammed up

past tense of clam up

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 clammed up Anyone asked by local or national media over the past few months if they’d been invited to the nuptials clammed up quickly. Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 2 July 2026 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 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
  • Behind the station doors are 150 polished European-style rooms, hushed corridors and a few magnificent surprises.
    David Hochman, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026
  • The years have only intensified Zimmerman’s mournful, hushed vocal performance, and Dream Me a Dream often plays out like a bedtime story spun by a beloved elder, accompanied by soft strings, shakers, and even a synth or two.
    Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026
Verb
  • But that friendship was betrayed as settlers dried up the Gila with upstream dams and diversions.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 3 July 2026
  • The problem is not that capital dried up; the challenge is that capital has become more concentrated, flowing toward a relatively small group of sectors and companies that fit the current AI investment thesis.
    Wayne Cantwell, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • In one sketch, David as Bell makes the historic first phone call, but the guy on the other end won't shut up.
    Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 26 June 2026
  • Dude, just leave — or stay and shut up!
    William Earl, Variety, 26 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Clammed up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clammed%20up. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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