clamp

American  

[klamp] / klæmp /

noun

clamps plural

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.

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verb (used with object)

clamps, present (3rd person singular) clamped, past participle, past clamping present participle

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 British  

/ 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

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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 British  

/ 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

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verb

1. (tr) to enclose (a harvested root crop) in a mound

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unclamped
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• clamps
  plural

Participles

• clamping
  present
• clamped
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• clamp
  simple
• clamps
  simple
• have clamped
  perfect
• has clamped
  perfect
• am clamping
  progressive
• are clamping
  progressive
• is clamping
  progressive
• have been clamping
  perfect progressive
• has been clamping
  perfect progressive

Past

• clamped
  simple
• had clamped
  perfect
• was clamping
  progressive
• were clamping
  progressive
• had been clamping
  perfect progressive

Future

• will clamp
  simple
• will have clamped
  perfect
• will be clamping
  progressive
• will have been clamping
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of clamp

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

Explanation

A clamp is a tool that's used to secure two things tightly together. When you repair a chair, it's best to use a clamp to hold the glued pieces together firmly. Carpenters, woodworkers, and plumbers all use clamps when they want to hold things together while they wait for glue to dry or need their hands free. When you use this kind of device, you can also say you clamp something: "Clamp that board down for me before I turn the saw on." Clamp most likely shares a Germanic root with the word clam — *klam-, "to press together."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

clamp clamps clamped clamping

Elfers also said it was very common for a boat engine, which does not have a closed cooling system like a car, to have a hose that pops or a hose clamp that fails.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026

For this study, the Yale team successfully used a dual patch clamp technique on fully intact mouse retinas.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 14, 2026

He has previously spoken out against measures to clamp down on illegal migration, and called the US administration's treatment of immigrants "inhuman".

From Barron's ● Jul. 4, 2026

As Western nations clamp down on access to high-performance processors, underground networks have increasingly relied on complex transshipment routes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

The last of the passengers steps down, and the bus doors clamp shut.

From "The House That Lou Built" by Mae Respicio

In the following months he bought accessories such as awning screw-in pegs for £15.98 and wheel clamps and keys for £119.98.

From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026

They put the clamps on during the second half, when they held the Lakers to 37 points.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 6, 2026

And as Miami prepares to face No. 6 Ole Miss in the national semifinal, they’ll aim to put the clamps on star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026

Lai, who turns 78 next Monday, has been behind bars since late 2020 as China clamps down on the financial hub to which it promised a separate system when Britain handed it over in 1997.

From Barron's ● Dec. 2, 2025

Graciela cries out and pulls on the cap, hardened now like a helmet, but Felicia clamps it in place with her fists.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

It drives me absolutely bonkers that the industry hasn’t clamped down on it.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026

China, which supplies 10% of the world’s fertilizer exports, clamped down on its exports in February and tightened them further in April, contributing to the rising costs.

From Salon ● May 15, 2026

A DHS spokeswoman said Noem serves at the pleasure of the president and has successfully clamped down on inefficiencies to save billions of dollars, calling her efforts “a roaring success.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026

Jakarta sent the shipment back as it clamped down on scrap iron and steel imports amid a scandal over alleged radioactive contamination of food products.

From Barron's ● Jan. 14, 2026

Lines straightened, hands were clamped to sides, whispers ceased as those cold blue eyes swept across us.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Research, however, shows that while delayed cord clamping can raise the baby’s hemoglobin levels, it does not have the same effect on vitamin K.

From Salon ● May 7, 2026

To test whether these filopodia function as silent synapses, the researchers used a modified patch clamping technique.

From Science Daily ● May 6, 2026

Davidson had 10 points in the second alone, while the Hoosiers had just 13 total, USC’s defense clamping down after a sloppy start.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

Washington began clamping down on those sales in December by seizing tankers carrying sanctioned Venezuelan crude.

From Barron's ● Jan. 20, 2026

We spent the afternoon making decorations from colored paper and clamping tiny candles in tiny holders to the branches.

From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly

Related Words

• clench
• impose