clamp

[klamp]

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)

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

/ 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

/ 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

• unclamped adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of clamp¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of clamp¹

C14: from Dutch or Low German klamp; related to Old English clamm bond, fetter, Old Norse kleppr lump

Origin of clamp²

C16: from Middle Dutch klamp heap; related to _clump

Example Sentences

The Met Police says it is "clamping down" on courier fraud and an operation running since February 2025 has seen a 46% decrease in reported offences.

Read more on BBC

It will start selling in new places such as Amazon.com and clamp down on bulk resellers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Then, the initial rollout of worldwide tariffs in April quickly clamped down on trade, causing the biggest one-month drop in goods imports on record.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr Bevan also said more needed to be done to clamp down on misuse of the bikes.

Read more on BBC

“Good,” Eli said, wiggling his foot into one of his sneakers, the ball clamped under his arm.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• clench 
• impose