soft-shell clam
noun
: an elongated clam (Mya arenaria) of the east coast of North America that has a thin friable shell and long siphon and is eaten especially when steamed
called also soft-shelled clam, steamer
Examples of soft-shell clam in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The crab was blamed for wiping out the soft-shell clam industry on the US East Coast in the early 1900s.
—
Katie Hunt, CNN, 20 Jan. 2022
But diners will get a soft-shell clam belly broil made with Ipswich clams, a popular menu item in its day.
—Robert Simonson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2020
Brian Beal, a biologist at the University of Maine at Machias who studies green crabs’ particularly severe damage to soft-shell clam fisheries, says these animals thrive in warmer waters.
—Laura Poppick, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2019
But soft-shell clam farming remains mostly uncharted territory, said Jeff Nichols, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
—Washington Post, 3 June 2018
The crabs’ rise has coincided with the decline of the Maine soft-shell clam industry, which had its smallest harvest since the 1930s last year, due in part to an increase in predators, like crabs.
—Washington Post, 6 June 2018
The predators eat soft-shell clams, which are often used in fried clam rolls and clam strips.
—Washington Post, 3 June 2018
The inhabitants ate shellfish, of course, mostly soft-shell clams.
—Murray Carpenter, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017
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Katie Hunt, CNN, 20 Jan. 2022
But diners will get a soft-shell clam belly broil made with Ipswich clams, a popular menu item in its day.
—Robert Simonson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2020
Brian Beal, a biologist at the University of Maine at Machias who studies green crabs’ particularly severe damage to soft-shell clam fisheries, says these animals thrive in warmer waters.
—Laura Poppick, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2019
But soft-shell clam farming remains mostly uncharted territory, said Jeff Nichols, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
—Washington Post, 3 June 2018
The crabs’ rise has coincided with the decline of the Maine soft-shell clam industry, which had its smallest harvest since the 1930s last year, due in part to an increase in predators, like crabs.
—Washington Post, 6 June 2018
The predators eat soft-shell clams, which are often used in fried clam rolls and clam strips.
—Washington Post, 3 June 2018
The inhabitants ate shellfish, of course, mostly soft-shell clams.
—Murray Carpenter, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Soft-shell clam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soft-shell%20clam. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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