Noun (2)
it must take a whole lot of clams to buy a car like that
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Noun
And the animal phyla that have been with us, essentially unchanged, for all those years—the birds and mammals, clams and snails, spiders and insects—these are, to me, surviving embodiments of eternal return.—Lewis Hyde, Harpers Magazine, 18 June 2025 Animals like corals, oysters, clams and some types of plankton need carbonate to build their shells and skeletons.—Thomas Westerholm, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 June 2025
Verb
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 Spend a day out on the water with a boat and gear rentals for crabbing or clamming.—Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for clam
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
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