clambake

American  

[klam-bayk] / ˈklæmˌbeɪk /

noun

1. a picnic or social gathering at the seashore at which clams and other seafood are baked, sometimes with corn and other items, traditionally on hot stones under a covering of seaweed.

2. Informal. any social gathering, especially a very noisy one.

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clambake British  

/ ˈklæmˌbeɪk /

noun

1. a picnic, often by the sea, at which clams, etc, are baked

2. an informal party

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Etymology

Origin of clambake

An Americanism dating back to 1825–35; clam ¹ + bake

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clambake

Hopefully you already know about this nutty clambake.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

Hundreds of years before Europeans arrived on New England shores, Native Americans created the clambake by digging pits in the sand to steam them with lobster.

From Washington Times ● Aug. 14, 2023

The resulting party — a clambake on a Hamptons beach — was such a resounding success that Mr. Cuomo decided Ms. Gollust should work for him.

From New York Times ● Feb. 15, 2022

One group will play in the PGA Tour’s Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a tournament that started as a clambake hosted by the crooner Bing Crosby.

From Washington Post ● Jan. 6, 2022

Oh! clam at high-water, Here's somebody's daughter A sighing and crying your measure to take; She cares for you only, Poor bivalve so lonely, Because you are good in a Yankee clambake.

From Harper's Round Table, September 10, 1895 by Various

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