clamp

American  

[klamp] / klæmp /

noun

1. a device, usually of some rigid material, for strengthening or supporting objects or fastening them together.

2. an appliance with opposite sides or parts that may be adjusted or brought closer together to hold or compress something.

3. one of a pair of movable pieces, made of lead or other soft material, for covering the jaws of a vise and enabling it to grasp without bruising.

4. Also called clamp rail.  Carpentry. a rail having a groove or a number of mortises for receiving the ends of a number of boards to bind them into a flat piece, as a drawing board or door.

5. Nautical.

   1. a horizontal timber in a wooden hull, secured to ribs to support deck beams and to provide longitudinal strength.

   2. mast clamp.

---

verb (used with object)

clamps, present (3rd person singular) clamped, past participle, past clamping present participle

1. to fasten with or fix in a clamp.

   Synonyms:

   secure, clench, clinch

verb phrase

1. clamp down on to impose or increase controls on.

2. clamp down to become more strict.

   There were too many tax loopholes, so the government clamped down.

clamp ¹ British  

/ klæmp /

noun

1. a mechanical device with movable jaws with which an object can be secured to a bench or with which two objects may be secured together

2. See also wheel clamp

3. a means by which a fixed joint may be strengthened

4. nautical a horizontal beam fastened to the ribs for supporting the deck beams in a wooden vessel

---

verb

1. to fix or fasten with or as if with a clamp

2. to immobilize (a car) by means of a wheel clamp

3. to inflict or impose forcefully

   they clamped a curfew on the town

clamp ² British  

/ klæmp /

noun

1. a mound formed out of a harvested root crop, covered with straw and earth to protect it from winter weather

2. a pile of bricks ready for processing in a furnace

---

verb

1. (tr) to enclose (a harvested root crop) in a mound

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unclamped
  adjective

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have clamped
  perfect
• has clamped
  perfect 3rd person singular
• are clamping
  progressive
• is clamping
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am clamping
  progressive 1st person singular
• have been clamping
  perfect progressive
• has been clamping
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular
• clamping
  participle
• clamps
  singular 3rd person

Past

• had clamped
  perfect
• was clamping
  progressive singular
• clamped
  simple
• were clamping
  progressive plural
• clamped
  participle
• had been clamping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will clamp
  simple
• will have clamped
  perfect
• will have been clamping
  perfect progressive
• will be clamping
  progressive

Etymology

Origin of clamp

1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Middle Dutch clampe clamp, cleat; cognate with Middle Low German klampe

Explanation

A clamp is a tool that's used to secure two things tightly together. When you repair a chair, it's best to use a clamp to hold the glued pieces together firmly. Carpenters, woodworkers, and plumbers all use clamps when they want to hold things together while they wait for glue to dry or need their hands free. When you use this kind of device, you can also say you clamp something: "Clamp that board down for me before I turn the saw on." Clamp most likely shares a Germanic root with the word clam — *klam-, "to press together."

Example Sentences

A combination of enhanced security at ports, a clamp down on other illegal routes, and the development of organised gangs have reportedly helped contribute to the rise in small boat crossings.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

But it is facing more pressure to clamp down on so-called “side quests” that aren’t helping it meaningfully boost revenue.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026

Examples of practices it would clamp down on included sites using any technique which inserted "manipulative" pages into a user's browser history that stopped them from returning to the previous page.

From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026

"Most of the experiments were conducted using the patch clamp method," explains Christian Grimm, an expert in techniques that measure electrical activity in lysosomal membranes.

From Science Daily • Mar. 26, 2026

The clapping is even louder than the music—I clamp my legs around my instrument so that I can cover my ears.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari

Related Words

• clench
• impose