clam

noun

• 1a marine bivalve mollusk with shells of equal size.

  • Subclass Heterodonta: several families and numerous species, including the edible North American hard-shell clam (see quahog) and soft-shell clam. See also giant clam
• informal any of a number of edible bivalve mollusks, e.g., a scallop.

• 2 informal a dollar:all I got for the job was 50 lousy clams

• 3 informal a shy or withdrawn person.

verb (clams, clamming, clammed)

• 1dig for or collect clams: (as noun clamming)it was one of the worst times for clamming

• 2 (clam up) informal abruptly stop talking, either for fear of revealing a secret or from shyness.