clam

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈklam 

: clamp, clasp

clam

2 of 3

noun (2)

often attributive

1

a

: any of numerous edible marine bivalve mollusks living in sand or mud

b

: a freshwater mussel

2

: a stolid or closemouthed person

3

: clamshell

4

informal : dollar sense 3

Illustration of clam

• a incurrent orifice
• b siphon
• c excurrent orifice
• d mantle
• e shell
• f foot

clam

3 of 3

verb

clammed; clamming

intransitive verb

: to gather clams especially by digging

clammer

ˈkla-mər 

noun

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• bone [slang]
• buck
• dollar
• one
• smacker [slang]

Examples of clam in a Sentence

Noun (2)

it must take a whole lot of clams to buy a car like that

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Complete with mollusks like clams, oysters, snails, and slugs, the model showed how various animals might’ve responded to the climate changes of 252 million years ago based on their modern relatives’ abilities to survive similar shifts in their environments. —Sam Walters, Discover Magazine, 27 Mar. 2025

Pismo clams, once abundant along the California coast, are being grown and studied in a middle school classroom. —Laylan Connelly, Orange County Register, 17 Mar. 2025

Verb

Spend a day out on the water with a boat and gear rentals for crabbing or clamming. —Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2025

One of my goals for 2024 was to do more fishing, crabbing and clamming. —Chloe Sorvino, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English clamm bond, fetter; akin to Old High German klamma constriction and perhaps to Latin glomus ball

Noun (2)

clam entry 1; from the clamping action of the shells

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1636, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing clam

• (as) happy as a clam
• butter clam
• clam up
• clam worm
• giant clam
• hard clam
• hard-shell clam
• Manhattan clam chowder
• pismo clam
• razor clam
• round clam
• soft-shell clam
• surf clam

Rhymes for clam

• am
• bam
• cham
• damme
• damn
• dram
• flam
• fram
• gram
• ham
• jam
• jamb

Kids Definition

clam

1 of 2 noun

ˈklam 

1

: any of numerous edible marine mollusks that have two hinged shells and live in sand or mud

2

: a freshwater mussel

clam

2 of 2 verb

clammed; clamming

: to dig or gather clams