clams up

verb

present tense third-person singular of clam up
as in dries up
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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clams up
  1. dries up
  2. hushes
  3. shuts up
  4. belts up
Verb
  • As for obstacles, experts nodded to persistent bottlenecks in shelter beds reserved for domestic violence survivors and legal support options, financial limitations, especially as pandemic-era federal funding dries up, and widespread access to guns.
    — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 8 Nov. 2026
  • As money dries up, firms and investors are left with less money to invest.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of dries up
Verb
  • Sweeping views over Hyde Park and expert soundproofing that hushes those busy London street horns.
    — Lewis Nunn, Forbes.com, 19 May 2026
  • The top itself is an eight-layer cloth construction that satisfyingly hushes the cabin when raised.
    — Brett Berk, Robb Report, 3 Sep. 2025
Definition of hushes
Verb
  • Annette finally goes into the ocean and shuts up.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 3 Mar. 2026
  • But establishing your lead funnyman as someone who just shuts up and stares blankly ahead isn’t a recipe for sustainable comedy.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2025
Definition of shuts up
Verb
  • The Paramount+ streaming event finds two UFC belts up for grabs at the top of the card.
    — Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of belts up
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.

Browse Nearby Words

clams
clams up
clam up
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Cite this Entry

“Clams up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clams%20up. Accessed 14 Nov. 2026.

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