Illustration of clam
- a incurrent orifice
- b siphon
- c excurrent orifice
- d mantle
- e shell
- f foot
clam
1 of 3noun (1)
ˈklam 
: clamp, clasp
clam
2 of 3noun (2)
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
: clamshell
4
informal : dollar sense 3
clam
3 of 3verb
clammed; clamming
intransitive verb
: to gather clams especially by digging
clammer
ˈkla-mər
noun 
Synonyms
Noun (2)
- bone [slang]
- buck
- dollar
- one
- smacker [slang]
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English, from Old English clamm bond, fetter; akin to Old High German klamma constriction and perhaps to Latin glomus ball
Noun (2)
clam entry 1; from the clamping action of the shells
First Known Use
Noun (1)
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above
Noun (2)
circa 1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1636, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing clam
Kids Definition
clam
noun
ˈklam
: a shellfish that lives in sand or mud and has a soft body surrounded by a hinged shell with two parts and that is often eaten as food
clam 1 of 2
noun
as in dollar
a U.S. currency bill representing 100 cents it must take a whole lot of clams to buy a car like that Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- dollar
- buck
- one
- smacker
- bone
- greenback
- dead presidents
clam
2 of 2verb
as in to fish
Synonyms & Similar Words
- fish
- shrimp
- seal
- whale
- harvest
- forage
- pick
- net
- gather
- accumulate
- hunt
- hay
- reap
- trap
- garner
- bag
- capture
- cut
- crop
- grow
- snare
- glean
- mow
- raise
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- plant
- sow
- seed