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
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
Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Bivalve molluscs such as mussels and clams, as well as tellinas and oysters, contain significant amounts of vitamin B12 and riboflavin, as well as thiamine, niacin, and folic acid.
—Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
Known for its abundance of agates found along the Pacific Ocean beach between Newport and Yaquina Head, Agate Beach is a popular spot for agate hunting, as well as other activities like clamming, surfing and wildlife viewing.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
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Noun
Bring to a gentle boil, then add the clams.
—Lynda Balslev, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Bivalve molluscs such as mussels and clams, as well as tellinas and oysters, contain significant amounts of vitamin B12 and riboflavin, as well as thiamine, niacin, and folic acid.
—Alessandra Signorelli, Vogue, 12 Sep. 2025
Verb
Soup Costco food courts in Taiwan offer members clam chowder.
—Alex Perry, Cincinnati Enquirer, 9 Sep. 2025
Known for its abundance of agates found along the Pacific Ocean beach between Newport and Yaquina Head, Agate Beach is a popular spot for agate hunting, as well as other activities like clamming, surfing and wildlife viewing.
—Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for clam
Cite this Entry
“Clam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clam. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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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