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to clam

to clam

2 7.5
To dig in sand to collect clams
  • verb
  • /klæm/
  • US
translation icon : cavar almejas
  • He decided to clam in the early morning before the tide came in.

Examples

  • - Clam it, snaps!

  • Ours is but to clam up and eat.

  • The small plates included a nice range of dishes from raviolis to sandwiches to sliders to falafels to salads to clam chowder.

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  • During the summer, many families love to clam at the beach, filling their buckets with fresh shellfish.

  • The children spent the afternoon clamming along the shore, excitedly digging for buried treasures.

Phrasal Verbs

to clam up
  • Informal
14 6.6

Stop talking suddenly because you are nervous or do not want to say anything

Compounds

8 2.8

A thick, creamy soup with clams, potatoes, and onions, often made with milk

1 5.7

A very large sea clam that lives on coral reefs

1 5.4

A long narrow sea clam with a curved, sharp shell

1 5.2

A cold creamy mixture of chopped clams and cream cheese eaten with crackers or chips

1 3.3

A small animal with two shells that lives in fresh water, often in rivers

A thick creamy soup from New England made with clams, potatoes, onions, and milk

blood clam
  • Indian
8.0

A shellfish with red blood that lives in muddy seashores and is eaten in parts of Asia

A medium sized sea animal with a hard shell often eaten cooked or raw

A small edible clam often eaten raw or cooked

A type of shellfish with a thin oval shell and a long thin neck eaten as food

A tomato soup with clams and vegetables served hot

A North American clam with a thick hard shell that is eaten as food

6.3

A large edible clam from the Atlantic coast whose shell was once used as money by Native Americans

A sea clam with a long narrow shell that lives in sand

5.7

A large clam you can eat with a hard rounded shell

A small sea animal with a thin fragile shell that people eat

4.4

A soft clam often steamed and eaten in its shell

Surface Forms

clam infinitive
clammed past
clammed past participle
clamming present participle
clams third person singular

Etymology

Clam (to dig for clams) comes from the noun clam, the shellfish, so to 'clam' is simply to gather those animals by digging in the sand. The verb is just the action of getting clams.