clam

[ klam ]

See synonyms for clam on Thesaurus.com

noun

any of various bivalve mollusks, especially certain edible species.: Compare quahog, soft-shell clam.
Informal. a secretive or silent person.

clamminess.
Slang. a dollar or the sum of a dollar: I only made 60 clams a week.

verb (used without object),clammed, clam·ming.

to gather or dig clams.

Verb Phrases

clam up, Slang. 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.

Origin of clam

First recorded in 1500–10; short for clam-shell, i.e., bivalve with a shell that clamps; see clam², shell

Other words from clam

clam·like, adjective
clam·mer, noun

Other definitions for clam (2 of 2)

clam²

[ klam ]

noun

British Dialect. clamp (defs. 1-3).
Machinery. (formerly) pincers.

Origin of clam

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use clam in a sentence

“I eat clams all day and nuts all night,” Rudolph sang in an innuendo-laden number.
Can Maya Rudolph Save the Variety Show? | Kevin Fallon | May 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Matter of fact, I sold thirty clams worth of steak knives to Vladimir Putin.
Speed Read: 11 Best Bits from Joe Biden Satire ‘The President of Vice’ | Caroline Linton | January 19, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Twenty years later, they are still together, seemingly happy as clams.
The Devil Inside Annette Bening | Jacob Bernstein | May 5, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Review: "These are edible if you like clams and are willing to eat just one or two."
The 44 Most Extreme Super Bowl Snacks | The Daily Beast | February 3, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
Clams, which taste incredibly good simply steamed, are made even better with the addition of pancetta, or Italian bacon.
What to Eat | Cookstr.com | August 25, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST

They had dug some clams at the low tide in the forenoon and put them away, covered with wet seaweed.
The Rival Campers | Ruel Perley Smith
Clams had occurred, and while we were discussing these small sea-monsters, Fatfloat broke suddenly forth.
The Onlooker, Volume 1, Part 2 | Various
Clams afforded a further help, the people treading and digging the flats at low tide, while eels and crabs supplemented this.
William Bradford of Plymouth | Albert Hale Plumb
"Come to see if Miss Lacey wanted any clams to-morrer," he drawled.
The Opened Shutters | Clara Louise Burnham
The large clams are better for chowders than for stews and broth.
Fifty Soups | Thomas J. Murrey

British Dictionary definitions for clam (1 of 2)

clam¹

/ (klæm) /

noun

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
the edible flesh of such a mollusc

informal a reticent person

verbclams, clamming or clammed

(intr) mainly US to gather clams

Origin of clam

C16: from earlier clamshell, that is, shell that clamps; related to Old English clamm fetter, Old High German klamma constriction; see clamp 1

See also clam up

British Dictionary definitions for clam (2 of 2)

clam²

/ (klæm) /

verbclams, clamming or clammed

a variant of clem

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with clam

clam

In addition to the idiom beginning with clam

clam up

also see:

happy as the day is long (as a clam)

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