noun
1.
any of various bivalve mollusks, especially certain edible species. Compare quahog, soft-shell clam.
2.
Informal. a secretive or silent person.
3.
4.
Slang. a dollar or the sum of a dollar: I only made 60 clams a week.
verb (used without object)
5.
to gather or dig clams.
00:10
Clam
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is skedaddle. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to flee; abscond: |
6.
clam up, Slang. to refuse to talk or reply; refrain from talking or divulging information: The teacher asked who had thrown the eraser, but the class clammed up.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To CLAM
Collins
World English Dictionary
clam1 (klæm) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | any of various burrowing bivalve molluscs of the genera Mya, Venus, etc. Many species, such as the quahog and soft-shell clam, are edible and Tridacna gigas is the largest known bivalve, nearly 1.5 metres long |
| 2. | the edible flesh of such a mollusc |
| 3. | informal a reticent person |
| —vb , clams, clamming, clammed | |
| 4. | chiefly (US) (intr) to gather clams |
| [C16: from earlier clamshell, that is, shell that clamps; related to Old English clamm fetter, Old High German klamma constriction; see | |
| clam2 (klæm) | |
| —vb , clams, clamming, clammed | |
| a variant of clem | |
| clem or clam (klɛm) | |
| —vb , clems, clemming, clemmed, clams, clamming, clammed | |
| dialect (English) ( | |
| [C16: of Germanic origin; related to Dutch, German klemmen to pinch, cramp; compare Old English beclemman to shut in] | |
| clam or clam | |
| —vb | |
| [C16: of Germanic origin; related to Dutch, German klemmen to pinch, cramp; compare Old English beclemman to shut in] | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History
clam
c.1500, "bivalve mollusk," originally Scottish, from M.E. clam "pincers, vice, clamp," from O.E. clamm "bond, fetter," from P.Gmc. *klam-. Clambake is from 1835. Clam up is 1916, Amer.Eng., but clam was used in this sense as an interjection c.1350.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Slang Dictionary
clam definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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FOLDOC
Computing Dictionary
CLAM definition
mathematics, toolA system for symbolic mathematics, especially General Relativity. It was first implemented in ATLAS assembly language and later Lisp.
See also ALAM.
["CLAM Programmer's Manual", Ray d'Inverno & Russell-Clark, King's College London, 1971].
(1994-11-08)
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases
clam
In addition to the idiom beginning with clam, also see happy as the day is long (as a clam).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Example sentences
They are often seen with a clam or mussel and a rock that has been deftly snared from the ocean floor.
He had no better implement with which to intrench himself in the land than a clam- shell.
Swim, fish or lounge by the beach or enjoy boating, bird watching and seasonal clam digging.
In some cases, both copies of the same gene within the same clam seemed to have come from different species.
Idioms & Phrases
Images for CLAM
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