clam1 nounclam2 verb
clamclam1 /klæm/ noun [countable] 
Word OriginWORD ORIGINclam1
ExamplesOrigin:
1500-1600 clam ‘two-part fastener’ (14-20 centuries), from Old English clamm ‘chain, rope, etc. for tying something up’; from the tight shutting of a clam shellEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Collocations- This shirt cost me fifty clams.
- In particular, both corals and giant clams harbour unicellular algae which live within their body cells.
- In your next life, I hope you are a sea clam.
- She wrapped herself around him like a clam in formation, her body one big muscle, straining.
- Stir the clams into the sauce and heat for a further 1-2min until piping hot. 4.
- Supposedly you can be arrested and fined for taking any mussels or clams at all.
- The clams were mostly oil-drenched bread crumbs with a morsel of chopped clam buried at the bottom of the shell.
- Thousands of fertilized sea urchin eggs, starfish and blue clams returned to Earth with the astronauts.
- Vinegar on a clam, that.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE► giant
1· The exact location is being kept secret to avoid poaching, which almost drove the giant clam to extinction 20 years ago.· I find three more specimens of the giant clam, and the following day, two.· In particular, both corals and giant clams harbour unicellular algae which live within their body cells.· There is no recorded example of a giant clam causing a human death.· And champion of them all, whether on land or in the sea, is almost certainly the giant clam.
NOUN► chowder· Shrug, and serve some more clam chowder.· There was cheese soup and a brat, or clam chowder and baked stuffed lobster, or gumbo and chicken jambalaya.· They make it look like a ship with waiters like pirates singing shanties into your clam chowder.· The tuna tartare with chopped avocado, the clam chowder with smoked bacon and the giant Louisiana prawns were all a hit.· The tastiest way to warm up is with a bowl of Boston's traditional clam chowder with oyster crackers.· From the salad to the clam chowder to the pasta with grilled peppers and chicken, dinner was perfect.
a shellfish you can eat that has a shell in two parts that open up: 
clam chowder (=a type of soup)2as happy as a clam American English informal very happy3 American English informal someone who does not say what they are thinking or feelingclam1 nounclam2 verb
clamclam2 verb (past tense and past participle clammed, present participle clamming) Verb TableVERB TABLE
clam
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | clam |
| he, she, it | clams | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | clammed |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have clammed |
| he, she, it | has clammed | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had clammed |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will clam |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have clammed |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am clamming |
| he, she, it | is clamming | |
| you, we, they | are clamming | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was clamming |
| you, we, they | were clamming | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been clamming |
| he, she, it | has been clamming | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been clamming |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be clamming |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been clamming |
EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
Thesaurus- Both Noland and Hull showed the good taste to clam up while the Symington trial is still under way.
- But he clammed up right after that.
- He'd noted that Howard had clammed up as the new arrival appeared.
- No wonder he clammed up whenever I asked him about his childhood.
- Normally she would have clammed up at that juncture.
- We had gone over his script over and over and he knew it cold, but he almost clammed up.
Longman Language Activatornot saying anything► silent
clam up phrasal verb informal to suddenly stop talking, especially when you are nervous or shy: especially written not speaking: · Phil was silent for a moment as he thought about his reply.remain silent: · I wanted to say 'please don't go', but instead I remained silent, and she left.fall silent (=become silent): · The woman fell silent, though she kept darting angry glances at Jessica.
► be lost for words/be at a loss for words to be unable to say anything because you are very surprised or because you are not prepared for the situation that has suddenly happened: · No matter what happens he never seems lost for words.· She stared at his letter, clearly at a loss for words.
► be struck dumb to be suddenly unable to say anything because you are extremely surprised or shocked and cannot believe what has happened: · Amy was struck dumb. Was it possible that her own son had deceived her?be struck dumb with: · When he arrived at the scene of the disaster, he was struck dumb with horror and amazement.
► clam up informal to suddenly become unwilling to talk: · He always clams up when I ask him about his job -- do you think he's doing something illegal?· The police took her in for questioning, but she clammed up when they asked about her boyfriend.
► speechless unable to say anything because you are very angry, surprised, or upset: · Anna was speechless. She had never seen such luxury before.speechless with: · Laura stared at him, absolutely speechless with rage.leave/render somebody speechless (=make someone speechless): · His words dented her pride and left her speechless.
► tongue-tied unable or unwilling to say anything because you are nervous or embarrassed: · She became tongue-tied when she looked at the handsome man sitting beside her.· Nervousness affects people in different ways. While some people become tongue-tied, others cannot stop talking.
► I don't know what to say spoken say this when someone gives you an unexpected present, or does something bad or shocking, and you cannot express how happy, angry etc you feel: · You're so kind! I don't know what to say.· Well, I don't know what to say. It's absolutely disgraceful!
► words fail me spoken say this when you are so shocked or angry that you cannot think of anything to say to express how you feel: · Just look at this mess. Look at it. It's...Words fail me!
► bite your tongue to not say anything even though you want very much to say what you think: · I had to bite my tongue to stop myself telling Neil exactly what I thought of his stupid plan.· She's so temperamental that even if you disagree with her it's better to bite your tongue and say nothing.
A sensitive child is likely just to clam up.