clam

Use clam in a sentence

A dish full of clams.

noun

The definition of a clam is an animal that lives in shallow water with a hard shell and no backbone, or is slang for a U.S. dollar.
1. An example of a clam is one of the main ingredients in the fish stew called cioppino.
2. An example of a clam is $1.

verb

To clam is to go digging for clams.
An example of clam is to dig for clams at low tide.

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"clam." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clam>.

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clam. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clam

clam

noun

pl. clams or

any of various hard-shell, usually edible, bivalve mollusks, some of which live in the shallows of the sea, others in fresh water
the soft, edible part of such a mollusk
Informal a reticent or taciturn person
clamshell (sense )
Slang
1. a dollar
2. Jazz a misplayed note

Origin of clam

from obsolete clam, clamp ( from Old English clamm, bond, fetter: for Indo-European base see climb); with reference, refer to the action of the shells

intransitive verb

clammed, clam′ming

to dig, or go digging, for clams

clam Idioms

clam up

Informal to keep silent or refuse to talk

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MLA Style

"clam." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clam>.

APA Style

clam. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clam

clam

noun

a. Any of various usually burrowing marine and freshwater bivalve mollusks chiefly of the subclass Heterodonta, including members of the families Veneridae and Myidae, many of which are edible.
b. The soft edible body of such a mollusk.
Informal A close-mouthed person, especially one who can keep a secret.
Slang A dollar: owed them 75 clams.

intransitive verb

clammed, clam·ming, clams

To hunt for clams.

Phrasal Verbs: clam up Informal To refuse to talk.

Origin of clam

From obsolete clam-shell shell that clamps, clam from clam ²

Related Forms:

clam′mer
noun

noun

A clamp or vise.

Origin of clam

Middle English from Old English clam, clamm bond, fetter

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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Link to this page

Cite this page

MLA Style

"clam." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 15 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clam>.

APA Style

clam. (n.d.). Retrieved January 15th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/Clam

Noun

(plural clams)

A bivalve mollusk of many kinds, especially those that are edible; as, the long clam (Mya arenaria), the quahog or round clam (Venus mercenaria), the sea clam or hen clam (Spisula solidissima), and other species of the United States. The name is said to have been given originally to the Tridacna gigas, a huge East Indian bivalve.
Strong pincers or forceps.
A kind of vise, usually of wood.
(US, slang) A dollar (usually used in the plural). Possibly originating from the term wampum.
Those sneakers cost me fifty clams!
(slang, derogatory) A Scientologist.