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# clams

noun plural (clams; singular a clam); verb (clam up, clams up, clammed up)

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

## Everyday

1. Clams are shellfish with two hard shells joined by a hinge, which live in sand or mud. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#m1)
2. Clams are eaten as food, as in clam chowder. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#m2)
3. To clam up means to suddenly stop talking, often from shyness or fear. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#m3)
4. (US slang, old) Clams can mean dollars. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#m4)

### In the lessons

In science, clams are molluscs that filter water to feed; giant clams on coral reefs can be huge. At the beach, kids dig for clams. «Happy as a clam» means very happy (US).

### Examples

- We dug for clams at low tide. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#x1)
- Clam chowder is a creamy soup. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#x2)
- The giant clams on the reef were bigger than me. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#x3)
- When the teacher asked, he clammed up. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#x4)
- Clams breathe through gills. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#x5)
- That bike cost fifty clams! (slang) [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#x6)
- A dish of venison, however, was no unacceptable meal to them, especially after feeding so long on oysters and clams. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/C/clams/#x7)

### Note

Singular: clam. Clam up: past «clammed». Myth: giant clams do not trap divers.

## On Mova

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