as in to hush
to stop talking
the little girl clammed up when the doctor came into the room
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Recent Examples of clam up
Although regulations may usher in more urgency for sustainable action, the laws rolling out around transparent claims could lead to companies clamming up about their initiatives to avoid potential greenwashing penalties.
—
Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
While Lydia wallows in the residual pain, Paul has clammed up.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
Judges struggle to name favorite cheese Ask a judge to pick their favorite and most will clam up, dodge the question or offer a long, unranked list.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024
One social worker said that a girl clammed up in a recent interview that her mother was invited to.
—Scooty Nickerson, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
City clams up over chance of lawsuit Antoine Bryant, director of planning and development, apologized to City Council members for soliciting the contract to pay for the murals using city money without the nine-member body's approval, which is required.
—Detroit Free Press, 25 Jan. 2024
With less contact between the user's hand and the electronics, plus more airflow, users may find their hands clamming up less easily during long hours of intense use.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 2 Feb. 2023
Jim Harbaugh will coach not to lose and clam up just enough to let Ohio State’s amazing skill talent pull the upset late.
—J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
When pandemic lockdowns clammed up her restaurant clientele, Ms. Brown began selling her oysters from her flatbed truck near her farm in Little Bay, New Hampshire.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2023
Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 3 Sep. 2019
While Lydia wallows in the residual pain, Paul has clammed up.
—Judy Berman, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024
Judges struggle to name favorite cheese Ask a judge to pick their favorite and most will clam up, dodge the question or offer a long, unranked list.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024
One social worker said that a girl clammed up in a recent interview that her mother was invited to.
—Scooty Nickerson, The Mercury News, 3 Mar. 2024
City clams up over chance of lawsuit Antoine Bryant, director of planning and development, apologized to City Council members for soliciting the contract to pay for the murals using city money without the nine-member body's approval, which is required.
—Detroit Free Press, 25 Jan. 2024
With less contact between the user's hand and the electronics, plus more airflow, users may find their hands clamming up less easily during long hours of intense use.
—Scharon Harding, Ars Technica, 2 Feb. 2023
Jim Harbaugh will coach not to lose and clam up just enough to let Ohio State’s amazing skill talent pull the upset late.
—J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 30 Aug. 2023
When pandemic lockdowns clammed up her restaurant clientele, Ms. Brown began selling her oysters from her flatbed truck near her farm in Little Bay, New Hampshire.
—Alfredo Sosa, The Christian Science Monitor, 12 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clam up
Verb
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Newsletter Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news When athletes line up at the start of a race, the crowd often hushes in anticipation until the quiet is broken by the crack of a starter pistol.—
Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi,
Discover Magazine,
20 Mar. 2025
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Standing on the boardwalk near the spring boil, visitors of all ages made remarks of awe and wonder while keeping their voices hushed in a show of reverence for nature’s wonder.—
Patrick Connolly,
Orlando Sentinel,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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For instance, certain smaller internet service providers rely on government grants, which raises the question of how sustainable these deployments might be once the funds dry up.—
Claudio Saes,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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Many American medical scientists have found their research dollars dried up which has left me looking to European universities.—
Neil Mahto,
Baltimore Sun,
24 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The acting challenge is nominally directed by Cheyenne Jackson, but functionally, scene-partner Ross never shuts up about what the queens should do, so it’s equally directed by him.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
14 Mar. 2025
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After 1950, the country couldn’t shut up about him.—
Beverly Gage,
The New Yorker,
10 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Clam up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clam%20up. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.
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