clam up

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Normally so open in his media conferences, Amorim clammed up when he was asked to explain something he said on Christmas Eve about his preferred style of play.

From BBC

However, he clammed up when Welker asked him to share other methods in which he might stay on.

From Salon

Another factor is “just having extreme social anxiety for a long, long time. People were fascinating to me, but also scary. I would kind of clam up around people because my brain would short-circuit.”

From Los Angeles Times

“What kind of helpful information would be in books about a wannabe Chosen One who clams up when it’s time to stop the bad guy?”

From Literature

“But as soon as we turned our microphones on and stuck them in their faces, they totally clammed up.”

From New York Times