CLAM UP Synonyms: 22 Similar and Opposite Words

clam up

verb

Definition of clam up

as in to hush

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

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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 clam up Everyone in the theater clammed up, as if embarrassed to have endorsed Max with laughter. — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026 Your language model would clam up from time to time to conserve its resources. — Amanda Gefter, Quanta Magazine, 10 Apr. 2026 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 But when co-host Maria McErlane looked for details, Norton clammed up. — Joseph Wilkinson, Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for clam up

Recent Examples of Synonyms for clam up

Verb

Salesforce has clearly hushed the skeptics on Wednesday night.

— Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
The impact is lavish yet hushed; welcoming yet sharply articulated.

— Genevieve Walker, Architectural Digest, 2 Aug. 2026

Definition of hush

Verb

That’s because New Mexico has been hammered by persistent drought, and large swaths of the Rio Grande have dried up in the central part of the state.

— Will Weissert, Fortune, 26 Aug. 2026
That's because New Mexico has been hammered by persistent drought, and large swaths of the Rio Grande have dried up in the central part of the state.

— ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of dry up

Verb

Commentators hungry for superstar validation of their culture war were calling her silence a moral failure, and some of them were the same people who, in previous news cycles, had insisted that athletes needed to shut up.

— Jerry Brewer, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026
Ferragosto on August 15 is when all Italians down tools, shut up shop, and head for the coast.

— Catherine Fairweather, Air Mail, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of shut up

Browse Nearby Words

clams up

clam up

clan

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“Clam up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clam%20up. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of clam up

verb

Example Sentences

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