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quahog

American  
[kwaw-hawg, -hog, kwoh-, koh-, kwuh-hawg, -hog] / ˈkwɔ hɔg, -hɒg, kwoʊ-, ˈkoʊ-, kwəˈhɔg, -ˈhɒg /
Or quahaug

noun

  1. an edible clam, Venus (sometimesMercenaria ) mercenaria, inhabiting waters along the Atlantic coast, having a relatively thick shell.

quahog British  
/ ˈkoʊˌhɒɡ /

noun

  1. Also called: hard-shell clam.   hard-shell.   round clam.  an edible clam, Venus (or Mercenaria ) mercenaria, native to the Atlantic coast of North America, having a large heavy rounded shell Compare soft-shell clam

"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

Etymology

Origin of quahog

An Americanism dating back to 1745–55; from Narragansett ( English spelling) poquaûhock

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.

And the ocean quahog, a type of clam that can live more than 500 years, making it the longest living animal, is predicted to struggle.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2025

He determined that Abra-clam was part of the mercenaria campechiensis species, also known as the southern quahog.

From Washington Post • Mar. 11, 2023

And then pearl like this thing that the cousin to the quahog has in oysters and, you know, suddenly then they’re back to plain rock.

From The New Yorker • Jan. 22, 2020

The quahog is well known to New England diners as a stuffed clam or in its own kind of chowder.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 26, 2016

He straightens and looks at me like I just coughed up a quahog.

From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

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.