clam

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈklam 

: clamp, clasp

clam

2 of 5

noun (2)

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

: clamshell

4

informal : dollar sense 1

Illustration of clam

• a incurrent orifice
• b siphon
• c excurrent orifice
• d mantle
• e shell
• f foot

clam

3 of 5

verb (1)

clammed; clamming

intransitive verb

: to gather clams especially by digging

clammer

ˈkla-mər 

noun

clem

4 of 5

verb (2)

ˈklem

variants or clam

ˈklam 

clemmed or clammed; clemmed or clammed; clemming or clamming; clems or clams

transitive verb

dialectal, England : to cause to suffer from hunger, thirst, or cold : starve

intransitive verb

dialectal, England : to suffer from hunger, thirst, or cold

clem

5 of 5

noun (3)

"

plural -s

slang

: a fight or brawl especially between circus or carnival workers and the local townsfolk

Synonyms of clam

Noun (2)

• dollar
• buck

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

Noun

Unlike the traditional baked dish of littlenecks stuffed with bacon and breadcrumbs, Jimmy’s version comes as a bowl of thumbnail-sized Manila clams tossed with guanciale, compound butter and breadcrumbs. — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026

The clam chowder is perfectly balanced and not at all clumpy or overly thickened, and the lobster roll is one of the best in all of Boston. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Sep. 2026

Verb

Deputies tried to keep the man alert and clam to help avoid the venom's spread before medical personnel arrived, the Facebook post stated. — Christian Cervantes, AZCentral.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Check the tide before venturing out, as clamming is only accessible on foot during low tide. — Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 18 Aug. 2026

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)

a derivative sense of clam entry 1; from the clamping action of the shells

Verb (1)

derivative of clam entry 2

Verb (2)

Middle English clemmen to pinch

Noun (3)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

1676, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing clam

• (as) happy as a clam
• butter clam
• clam up
• clam worm
• giant clam
• hard clam
• hard-shell clam
• Manhattan clam chowder
• Pismo clam
• razor clam
• round clam
• soft-shell clam
• surf clam

Rhymes for clam

• am
• bam
• cham
• damme
• damn
• dram
• flam
• fram
• gram
• ham
• jam
• jamb

Kids Definition

clam

1 of 2 noun

ˈklam 

1

: 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