Clam Up (Verb)
Meaning
Refuse to talk or stop talking; fall silent; "The children shut up when their father approached".
Classification
Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing.
Examples
- The detective couldn't get the suspect to talk, but after a while, he could see the man clam up even further.
- As soon as she walked into the room, her sister started whispering to her friend, then clammed up.
- When questioned about the stolen money, he immediately clammed up and waited for his lawyer.
- After making that reckless comment, the politician clammed up and refused to answer any more questions.
- Witnesses reported that the individual clammed up after being taken away by the police.