Noun (2)
it must take a whole lot of clams to buy a car like that
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
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
Share