CLAM (clammed, clamming)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected forms: clammed    , clamming   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does clam mean? 

• CLAM (noun)
  The noun CLAM has 3 senses:

1. burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmness

2. a piece of paper money worth one dollar

3. flesh of either hard-shell or soft-shell clams

  Familiarity information: CLAM used as a noun is uncommon.

• CLAM (verb)
  The verb CLAM has 1 sense:

1. gather clams, by digging in the sand by the ocean

  Familiarity information: CLAM used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CLAM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmness

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("clam" is a kind of...):

bivalve; lamellibranch; pelecypod (marine or freshwater mollusks having a soft body with platelike gills enclosed within two shells hinged together)

Meronyms (parts of "clam"):

clam (flesh of either hard-shell or soft-shell clams)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "clam"):

long-neck clam; Mya arenaria; soft-shell clam; steamer; steamer clam (an edible clam with thin oval-shaped shell found in coastal regions of the United States and Europe)

hard-shell clam; hard clam; Mercenaria mercenaria; quahaug; quahog; round clam; Venus mercenaria (an edible American clam; the heavy shells were used as money by some American Indians)

geoduck (a large edible clam found burrowing deeply in sandy mud along the Pacific coast of North America; weighs up to six pounds; has siphons that can extend to several feet and cannot be withdrawn into the shell)

jackknife clam; knife-handle; razor clam (marine clam having a long narrow curved thin shell)

giant clam; Tridacna gigas (a large clam inhabiting reefs in the southern Pacific and weighing up to 500 pounds)

shipworm; teredinid (wormlike marine bivalve that bores into wooden piers and ships by means of drill-like shells)

Derivation:

clam (gather clams, by digging in the sand by the ocean)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A piece of paper money worth one dollar

Classified under:

Nouns denoting possession and transfer of possession

Synonyms:

buck; clam; dollar; dollar bill; one dollar bill

Hypernyms ("clam" is a kind of...):

bank bill; bank note; banker's bill; banknote; bill; Federal Reserve note; government note; greenback; note (a piece of paper money (especially one issued by a central bank))

Domain region:

America; the States; U.S.; U.S.A.; United States; United States of America; US; USA (North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Flesh of either hard-shell or soft-shell clams

Classified under:

Nouns denoting foods and drinks

Hypernyms ("clam" is a kind of...):

shellfish (meat of edible aquatic invertebrate with a shell (especially a mollusk or crustacean))

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "clam"):

hard-shell clam; quahaug; quahog; round clam (Atlantic coast round clams with hard shells; large clams usually used for chowders or other clam dishes)

long-neck clam; soft-shell clam; steamer; steamer clam (a clam that is usually steamed in the shell)

Holonyms ("clam" is a part of...):

clam (burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmness)

Derivation:

clam (gather clams, by digging in the sand by the ocean)

• CLAM (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they clam    ... he / she / it clams   
Past simple: clammed   
Past participle: clammed   
-ing form: clamming   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Gather clams, by digging in the sand by the ocean

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "clam" is one way to...):

collect; garner; gather; pull together (assemble or get together)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sentence example:

In the summer they like to go out and clam

Derivation:

clam (burrowing marine mollusk living on sand or mud; the shell closes with viselike firmness)

clam (flesh of either hard-shell or soft-shell clams)

 Context examples 

“How now, Sir Mayor? How of the clams and the scallops?”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

The researchers plan to conduct additional experiments to explore the genetic diversity of both the clams and the microbes.

(Microbe diversity is key to healthy coastal ecosystems, National Science Foundation)

I have had planes delayed, but if I have my “office” with me—my computer—I am happy as a little clam.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

The hunters fell silent as clams.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

On Earth, worms and clams that live in the muddy sea beds require 1 mg per liter, bottom feeders such as crabs and oysters 3 mg per liter, and spawning migratory fish 6 mg per liter, all within 0.2 moles per cubic meter, 6.4 mg per liter.

(Simple animals could live in Martian brines, Wikinews)

There's not one of them who is not degrading, man and woman, all of them animated stomachs guided by the high intellectual and artistic impulses of clams—

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

“Am I to be put off with words? I say to you again, how of the clams and scallops?”

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

However, the bacteria oxidize the sulfide compounds to harmless sulfate, using the energy produced to turn carbon dioxide into sugars for the clams.

(Microbe diversity is key to healthy coastal ecosystems, National Science Foundation)

“The clams and scallops shall be ready within the hour,” the mayor answered.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Normally, when seagrass decomposes, sulfide is produced and is toxic to clams.

(Microbe diversity is key to healthy coastal ecosystems, National Science Foundation)