clam
1 Americannoun
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any of various bivalve mollusks, especially certain edible species.
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Informal. a secretive or silent person.
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Slang. a dollar or the sum of a dollar.
I only made 60 clams a week.
verb (used without object)
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clams,
present (3rd person singular)
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clammed,
past participle, past
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clamming
present participle
verb phrase
noun
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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
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the edible flesh of such a mollusc
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informal a reticent person
verb
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clamsimple
-
clamssimple
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have clammedperfect
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has clammedperfect
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am clammingprogressive
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are clammingprogressive
-
is clammingprogressive
-
have been clammingperfect progressive
-
has been clammingperfect progressive
Past
-
clammedsimple
-
had clammedperfect
-
was clammingprogressive
-
were clammingprogressive
-
had been clammingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of clam1
First recorded in 1500–10; short for clam-shell, i.e., bivalve with a shell that clamps; see 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
Explanation
A clam is a marine animal with two shells that eats by straining food from water, sand, or mud. You can sometimes find clams by digging in the sand close to the seashore. The largest clams are used for food by humans, including the scallop, a particularly big form of clam. When you order soup in New England, it's not unlikely that it will be clam chowder, a creamy, thick stew with potatoes and pieces of clam. When clam is a verb, it means "to dig clams on the beach," and if your friend offers to pay you 1000 clams for your old car, she means "dollars."
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.
See Examples For:
"This is why we eat clam chowder and we don't eat brachiopod chowder," Sperling said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
A few kilometres closer to the sea, clam fishermen are also struggling with soaring June temperatures.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
“Males tend to think differently and we have a different language. There needs to be a different approach to get over their walls, their filters, their denials. The guys clam up.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
The West Hollywood clam shack conjures Rhode Island on the West Coast, be it with clams of all kinds, lobster cooked just right or oysters treated with reverence.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 23, 2026
Then they went into the shack, and Turner helped Reverend Griffin sit up in the bed, and Lizzie brought over a bowl of the clam chowder and fed him.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
Fish, mobile snails, sea urchins, and bivalves such as clams, oysters, and mussels all require faster metabolisms to support movement and, in many cases, predatory lifestyles.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
"The guy who sells clams, the one who sells boiled eggs, the one who sells green mango with salt, the wafer seller, the ice cream seller... What's become of those people?" the 39-year-old asked.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
She said they eat a mixture of food such as clams and mussels and crustaceans, so there would plenty of food around the Scottish coast.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
Even a day later, contemplating this willfully nauseating work carries much the same sensation as having ingested a plate of bad clams.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 16, 2026
Otters dove down and tore clams from the reef.
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
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 ● Jan. 3, 2026
However, he clammed up when Welker asked him to share other methods in which he might stay on.
From Salon ● Mar. 30, 2025
“There was a dreadful silence, and they literally clammed up. It was incredibly unnerving for the White House and the Pentagon.”
From Washington Times ● Oct. 30, 2023
With the Browns due to visit the Vikings on Sunday, the communication between Stefanski and Kubiak has clammed up for obvious reasons.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 30, 2021
The Rusty Raptors all clammed up accordingly, eyes wide.
From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older
We would go crabbing, occasionally catch fish, and also clamming.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2023
Make sure you have the most current information before you go clamming to ensure responsible harvesting.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
With research and preparation, anyone can try their hand at clamming.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 25, 2023
The department requires two tests taken 10 days apart that meet Department of Health guidelines before resuming the recreational clamming season.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 17, 2022
He didn’t want to risk me clamming back up.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
