1
: a device designed to bind or constrict or to press two or more parts together so as to hold them firmly
2
: any of various instruments or appliances having parts brought together for holding or compressing something
clamped; clamping; clamps
1
: to fasten with or as if with a clamp
clamp two boards together
2
a
: to place by decree : impose
—often used with on
clamped on a curfew after the riots
b
: to hold tightly
Examples of clamp in a Sentence
Verb
The surgeon clamped the vein.
He clamped the two pieces of wood together.
The bit was clamped firmly between the horse's teeth.
He clamped his mouth shut and refused to speak.
Recent Examples on the Web
arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2025
What To Know The launch was initially scheduled for Wednesday, but SpaceX called it off after mission controllers were unable to solve a hydraulic issue with a clamp arm that holds the rocket before takeoff.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Bestreviews, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Unlike Ophiocordyceps, which forces ants to clamp onto vegetation before a fruiting body erupts from their heads, Gibellula species spread in a finer, more filamentous way, using the entire spider’s body as a fungal scaffolding.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clamp
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Noun
Concern arose over one of the two clamp arms on the Falcon rocket's support structure that needs to tilt away right before liftoff.
—arkansasonline.com, 15 Mar. 2025
What To Know The launch was initially scheduled for Wednesday, but SpaceX called it off after mission controllers were unable to solve a hydraulic issue with a clamp arm that holds the rocket before takeoff.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 14 Mar. 2025
Verb
Keep in mind that the diameter of the clamping surface may vary from 25.5 to 35 millimeters.
—Bestreviews, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2025
Unlike Ophiocordyceps, which forces ants to clamp onto vegetation before a fruiting body erupts from their heads, Gibellula species spread in a finer, more filamentous way, using the entire spider’s body as a fungal scaffolding.
—Scott Travers, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clamp
Cite this Entry
“Clamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clamp. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clamp
1 of 2 noun
: a device that holds or presses parts together firmly
clamp
2 of 2 verb
: to fasten or tighten with or as if with a clamp
Medical Definition
clamp
1 of 2 noun
: any of various instruments or appliances having parts brought together for holding or compressing something
especially
: an instrument used to hold, compress, or crush vessels and hollow organs and to aid in surgical excision of parts
an arterial clamp
clamp
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to fasten with or as if with a clamp
the descending thoracic aorta was clamped—W. A. Banks et al.
W. A. Banks et al.Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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