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
  • The lounge is a real scene, especially during afternoon tea, when a perfectly coiffed crowd has hushed discussions about worldly matters.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The normally festive and rowdy crowd inside the basketball arena in Dallas quickly hushed as a five-minute memorial video began playing.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • For 25 years, interest in AI research waned and funding dried up.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Yet Kyiv’s stockpile has dried up as the United States husbands an arsenal that has been significantly depleted by the Iran war.
    — Eric Ciaramella, Foreign Affairs, 14 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • Georgia Tech won its game with undefeated Duke by (ahem) shutting up and getting better during the bye week.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Turning paying ticket buyers into political punching bags and telling colleagues to shut up is terrible business and toxic for basketball.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 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 20 Oct. 2026.

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