CLAMMING UP Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

clamming up

verb

present participle of clam up

as in drying up

to stop talking the little girl clammed up when the doctor came into the room

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 clamming up 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clamming up

Verb

These spots are still damp, even when the rest of the Central Valley is drying up.

— Sean Macaday, Sacbee.com, 20 Sep. 2026
In the Rocky Mountains, years of extreme heat and drought have baked the landscape, drying up streams that feed the Colorado River and desiccating pastures where cattle graze.

— Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of drying up

Verb

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
The audience is there in the flesh, shutting up and paying attention to your talent.

— Deborah Treisman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Definition of shutting up

Verb

Nelson remembers hushing her foster children back to sleep that night and calling 911, anxious for an end to those sleepless nights.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
If you’re used to traditional decluttering strategies that focus on sorting and purging, house hushing might feel strange.

— Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2026

Definition of hushing

Browse Nearby Words

clamming

clamming up

clammy

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Clamming up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clamming%20up. Accessed 29 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of clamming up

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

argot

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

Popular

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

7 Great Ways to Say 'Great'

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes