clam up

Examples 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 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 Local vape-shop owners clammed up as scrutiny over their sales practices increased. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 22 June 2023 As the vibrant Sun in your communication sector is smothered by wet blanket Saturn in your inhibited 12th house, your fears of being misunderstood could provoke you to clam up. Tarot Astrologers, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for clam up
Verb
  • Matthews’ voice swung from gravelly to hushed in a simple, affecting tribute.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 20 Oct. 2024
  • Throughout the first act, the auditorium was hushed.
    Tomas Weber, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • As the years passed, tips came in less and less frequently and, over time, dried up entirely.
    Veronica Fulton, NBC News, 3 Nov. 2024
  • Though guttation is a common occurrence on these fruiting bodies, the bright red droplets eventually dry up and turn more brown colored.
    Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 31 Oct. 2024
Verb
  • Those final panels, of the Red Skull being shut up in darkness — but not to die.
    Josh Weiss, Forbes, 1 Nov. 2024
  • Where other artists his age have long ago decided to shut up and play the hits, the mercurial 83-year-old is using his recent tour dates to cover songs from the ’50s and play tracks off his middling 2012 album Tempest, with only the occasional scrap of red meat thrown to audiences.
    Chris Stanton, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2024

Thesaurus Entries Near clam up

Cite this Entry

“Clam up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/clam%20up. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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