Dictionary.com

soft-shell clam

Save This Word!

noun
an edible clam, Mya arenaria, inhabiting waters along both coasts of North America, having an oval, relatively thin, whitish shell.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Also called long clam, long-neck clam, soft clam, steamer, steamer clam.

Origin of soft-shell clam

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use soft-shell clam in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for soft-shell clam

soft-shell clam

noun
any of several marine clams of the genus Mya, esp M. arenaria, an edible species of coastal regions of the US and Europe, having a thin brittle shellSometimes shortened to: soft-shell Compare quahog
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
FEEDBACK