clam

¹ American  

[klam] / klæm /

noun

1. any of various bivalve mollusks, especially certain edible species.

2. Informal. a secretive or silent person.

3. clamminess.

4. Slang. a dollar or the sum of a dollar.

   I only made 60 clams a week.

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verb (used without object)

clammed, clamming

1. to gather or dig clams.

verb phrase

1. clam up to refuse to talk or reply; refrain from talking or divulging information.

   The teacher asked who had thrown the eraser, but the class clammed up.

clam ² American  

[klam] / klæm /

noun

1. British Dialect. clamp.

2. Machinery. (formerly) pincers.

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clam ¹ British  

/ klæm /

noun

1. any of various burrowing bivalve molluscs of the genera Mya, Venus, etc. Many species, such as the quahog and soft-shell clam, are edible and Tridacna gigas is the largest known bivalve, nearly 1.5 metres long

2. the edible flesh of such a mollusc

3. informal a reticent person

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verb

1. (intr) to gather clams

clam ² British  

/ klæm /

verb

1. a variant of clem

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clam Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing clam

• happy as the day is long (as a clam)

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Other Word Forms

• clamlike adjective
• clammer noun

Etymology

Origin of clam¹

First recorded in 1500–10; short for clam-shell, i.e., bivalve with a shell that clamps; clam ², shell

Origin of clam²

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English, derivative of clam(m), clom(m), “fetter, clasp, bandage”; cognate with German Klamm “fetter, constriction”; akin to clamp

Example Sentences

To avoid disturbing the sites further, the team relied on radiocarbon dating of clam shells and deer bones that were originally collected some 50 years ago.

From Science Daily

Sea slugs, corals, clams and sponges may not get as much of the spotlight as blue whales or sharks, but these curious creatures come with a host of unique, hard-to-believe abilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

It actually looked more like a large clam.

From Literature

The pipeline company will also have to mitigate harm to fish and clams.

From Barron's

A giant sea star crept over a crowd of clams.

From Literature

Related Words

• mollusk