clam up

IPA/klˈam ˈʌp/
IPA/klˈæm ˈʌp/

clam up — phrasal verb

  • clam upbase form
  • clams up3rd person singular
  • clamming up-ing form
  • clammed uppast simple

1. to suddenly stop speaking or refuse to speak because you feel embarrassed, nervo

1.片語動詞不及物B2
釋義

to suddenly stop speaking or refuse to speak because you feel embarrassed, nervous, or simply find a topic you would rather not discuss.

例句

Whenever the teacher asked Hugo a difficult question, he clammed up and looked away.

pattern: 'whenever' + trigger situation causes silence

Layla clammed up at dinner when her uncle brought up her exam results.

同義詞
  • shut up

    more direct and can sound rude; 'clam up' is gentler

  • freeze up

    emphasises inability to speak due to fear, not just unwillingness

  • go silent

    more general; can describe any situation where a person stops talking

  • button up

    similar informality, slightly less common in modern use

反義詞
  • open up

    to start talking freely about personal matters

  • speak up

    to express one's thoughts or opinions openly

  • speak freely

    to talk without holding back

文法句型

clam + up (no object)

用法筆記

Frequently appears in past tense ('clammed up'). Often used with a description of the event or question that triggers the silence (e.g., 'whenever...', 'as soon as...', 'every time...'). Never takes a direct object — you cannot 'clam someone up'.

常見錯誤

❌She clammed up the conversation.
✅She clammed up during the conversation.
💡'clam up' is intransitive; you cannot clam someone or something up.
❌He clammed me up with his question.
✅He clammed up when I asked him a question.
💡The subject of 'clam up' is always the person who becomes silent, not the person who causes the silence.