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
Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Maybe towards the weirder side of, like, Chinese cuisine with, like…sea slugs and clams.
—Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2025
Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2025
One of my goals for 2024 was to do more fishing, crabbing and clamming.
—Chloe Sorvino, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for clam
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Noun
Guests will enjoy briny oysters and clams, sweet Dungeness crab, and crisp whites, roses, and sparkling wines while enjoying stellar views of the Seattle skyline.
—Elizabeth Brownfield, Forbes, 8 Mar. 2025
Maybe towards the weirder side of, like, Chinese cuisine with, like…sea slugs and clams.
—Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
Spend a day out on the water with a boat and gear rentals for crabbing or clamming.
—Molly Allen, Travel + Leisure, 13 Jan. 2025
One of my goals for 2024 was to do more fishing, crabbing and clamming.
—Chloe Sorvino, Forbes, 10 Jan. 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 21 Mar. 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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