clamshell

noun

clam·​shell ˈklam-ˌshel 

1

: the shell of a clam

2

a

: a bucket or grapple (as on a dredge) having two hinged jaws

b

: an excavating machine having a clamshell

c

: either of a pair of doors (as in an airplane tail) that open out and away from each other

d

: a hinged container, case, or cover that opens like the shell of a clam

Examples of clamshell in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

My first impression was its clean, grey clamshell design. —John Burek, PC Magazine, 1 June 2026

Keep things interesting by arranging containers in different sizes and styles, like this old-fashioned strawberry pot and giant clamshell. —Steve Bender, Southern Living, 30 May 2026

Lift the right knee up and out to the side, externally rotating your right hip for a clamshell. —Mallory Creveling, Health, 15 May 2026

Robot Stories Around Solar Panels (2025), one of his paintings in that show, features machine people harvesting pearls from giant clamshells and posing as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for clamshell

• barbell
• bedwell
• befell
• bluebell
• bombshell
• bridewell
• capelle
• cartel
• carvel
• cogswell
• compel
• dispel

Kids Definition

clamshell

noun

clam·​shell ˈklam-ˌshel 

: the shell of a clam