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# clam

noun (a clam, clams); verb (clam up, clams up, clammed up, clamming up)

«clam» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. A clam is a sea or river animal with a soft body inside two hard shells joined by a hinge; it lives buried in sand or mud. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/#m1)
2. Clams are also eaten as seafood. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/#m2)
3. To clam up means to suddenly stop talking, often because you are nervous or do not want to tell. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science lessons, clams are molluscs, like snails and mussels; they filter tiny food from water; the giant clam on coral reefs can be bigger than a child. In stories and everyday life, someone who «clams up» goes quiet when asked questions. «Happy as a clam» (US) means very happy. Phrases: «clam chowder», «giant clam», «clam up», «shut like a clam».

### Examples

- We found an empty clam shell on the beach. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/#x1)
- Clams dig into the sand when the tide goes out. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/#x2)
- The giant clam lives on coral reefs. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/#x3)
- Dad ordered clam chowder at the restaurant. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/#x4)
- When the teacher asked who broke it, Sam clammed up. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/#x5)
- She shut her mouth like a clam and said nothing. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/#x6)

### Note

Verb forms double the m: «clammed», «clamming». Do not confuse with «clammy» (cold and slightly wet: clammy hands). A clam is a mollusc, not a fish.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «clam» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clam/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«clam» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/clam.html) on Mova free.