Illustration of clam
- a incurrent orifice
- b siphon
- c excurrent orifice
- d mantle
- e shell
- f foot
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
4
informal
: dollar sense 3
Synonyms
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
Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2024
Ken Steinkamp and Sandy Sikorski were eating clams at a restaurant in Westerly, Rhode Island on Dec. 27, 2021 when Sikorski tasted something pretty odd.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for clam 
Noun
Treatments like the 90-minute signature hot seashell massage — Coquillages d’Azur, performed with polished tiger clam shells and ending with a rejuvenating LED mask — are offered in three treatment rooms (one is outdoors at the beach club), or guests can opt for a massage in-room.
—Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2024
Ken Steinkamp and Sandy Sikorski were eating clams at a restaurant in Westerly, Rhode Island on Dec. 27, 2021 when Sikorski tasted something pretty odd.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 11 May 2024
See all Example Sentences for clam
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clam.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near clam
Cite this Entry
“Clam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clam. Accessed 29 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clam
1 of 2 noun1
: 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
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