clamshell

noun

clam·​shell ˈklam-ˌshel 

1

: the shell of a clam

2

a

: a bucket or grapple (as on a dredge) having two hinged jaws

b

: an excavating machine having a clamshell

c

: either of a pair of doors (as in an airplane tail) that open out and away from each other

d

: a hinged container, case, or cover that opens like the shell of a clam

Examples of clamshell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Best Way To Store Strawberries For ultimate freshness, store your strawberries in the plastic clamshell container they were purchased in. —Jessica Farthing, Southern Living, 10 Apr. 2026

Oh, right – instead of a cockpit, the aircraft has a pair of clamshell doors and no place for a crew. —David Szondy march 11, New Atlas, 11 Mar. 2026

Teams of ships—cutter dredges that steer underwater drill bits, clamshell dredges that swing a bivalve bucket over the shore and pump dredges that suck sediment from the riverbed—work in relatively quick succession. —Patrick Sisson, Scientific American, 9 Mar. 2026

Today Max is making two large clamshells, which will hold seafood at a party. —Blair Braverman, Outside, 3 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for clamshell

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• cogswell
• compel
• dispel

Kids Definition

clamshell

noun

clam·​shell ˈklam-ˌshel 

: the shell of a clam