clamshell
clamshell noun: the shell of a clam.
Noun
clamshell (plural clamshells)
- The shell of a clam.
- Any object that, in (literal or figurative) resemblance to the shell of a clam, has a hinge on one edge and two surfaces that close together.
- You'll find a mix among clamshell laptops for strong laps, lunchboxes, and sewing-machine configurations; the latter two designs typically have detachable keyboards.1988 October 11, PC Mag, volume 7, number 17, page 93
- A dredging bucket with hinges like the shell of a clam.
- The wall has been constructed one panel at a time by a machine which uses a clamshell bucket to excavate straight down to a depth of 30 metres. […] Specialised long-reach excavators with a clamshell grab then reach though the openings to lift the spoil to the surface, which is then deposited in...2023 March 8, Chris Howe, “Building the platform for Old Oak Common's platforms”, in RAIL, number 978, page 60
- In food service, the closing box (usually styrofoam but sometimes cardboard) given to consumers with takeout food.
- A hinged case for a video tape, cassette tape, or video game cartridge.
- A person's mouth.
- Shut your clamshell!
- He was quickly silenced, however, by a burly individual, who "reckoned that it mout be jist as well for the stranger to keep his clam-shell shut."1858, Harper's Weekly
- Any object with some other resemblance to either one or both halves of the shell of a clam.
- An amphitheater, especially an outdoor amphitheater; the semi-circular acoustic backdrop behind and above the performers.
Verb
clamshell (third-person singular simple present clamshells, present participle clamshelling, simple past and past participle clamshelled)
- To deform a die in a shape resembling the shell of a clam, as a result of uneven extrusion pressure.
- Although it produces a nonuniform pressure drop across the die and thus causes nonuniform flow through the die lip, the distribution of the melt does not produce die distortion of ^([sic]) clamshelling.2000, Charles A. Harper, Modern Plastics Handbook, pages 5–64
- However, this solution is more susceptible to clamshelling, as the land length is particularly large at the centre.2012, M. J. Stevens, J. A. Covas, Extruder Principles and Operation, page 108
- To dig out by means of a clamshell (dredging bucket).
- The additional handling that it would get by the canal would be: One dumping from the pockets into the canal barge, one clamshelling out of the canal barge, and one dumping onto the dock.1916, United States Congressional Serial Set, volume 6978, page 66
- First the contractor clamshelled the silty material into two parallel dikes which are 200 feet apart.1964, The American City - Volume 79, page 84
- To compress or flatten underwater debris so as to avoid blocking a channel.
- In the past, when a boat sank and was judged unfit for salvage, the Coast Guard 'clamshelled' it. That is, they broke it up in order to flatten it as much as possible so it wouldn't obstruct river traffic.1972 March, Willard Beiley, “Underwater Brigade”, in Cincinnati Magazine, volume 5, number 6, page 49
- To open or close by means of a hinge, similar to the way a clamshell opens and closes.
- To avoid getting clamshelled, first check the seat pins, then climb in before you pin the canopy.1994 May-June, John Bastin, “ClamShelled”, in Mech, volume 3, number 94, page 14
- Sixty-three of the transports grounded in a ring some 400 kilometers outside Cavite City, and their sides clamshelled and Tahn assault troops stormed out.2012, Chris Bunch, Allan Cole, Juggernaut
clamshell meaning in Tamil and Indonesian
clamshell in Tamil
- தோட்டுச் சிப்பி
clamshell in Indonesian
- shell of a clam
- kulit kerang
Examples of clamshell in a sentence
- "Shut your clamshell, Toby," grumbled the Baron.1870, Henry Perry Leland, The Grey-bay Mare, and Other Humorous American Sketches:
- The sludge will be clamshelled and landfilled, or recycled to melting operations.1976, Russell E. Train, Andrew W. Briedenbach, Ernst P. Hall, Edward L. Dulaney, Patricia e. WIlliams, John G. WIlliams, Development...
- Sludges produced at C must be periodically clamshelled out & transferred to controlled landfill.1979, United States. Environmental Protection Agency. Effluent Guidelines Division, Draft Development Document for the Iron and Steel...
- Richard replied bluntly as the safety harness automatically clamshelled comfortably around his hips and shoulders.2013, Martyn Jones, Falling Through the Stars:
Synonyms of clamshell
Forms of clamshell
| Noun | |
|---|---|
| plural | clamshells |
| Verb | |
| third-person singular present | clamshells |
| present participle | clamshelling |
| past participle | clamshelled |
| past | clamshelled |
Origin of clamshell
From clam + shell.
Words formed from clamshell
Phrases with clamshell
Questions about clamshell
- What does clamshell mean?
- Clamshell means the shell of a clam.
- What is clamshell in Tamil?
- Clamshell in Tamil is தோட்டுச் சிப்பி. See Clamshell meaning in Tamil.
- How do you use clamshell in a sentence?
- "Shut your clamshell, Toby," grumbled the Baron.
- What part of speech is clamshell?
- Clamshell can be a noun or a verb.
- What is the plural of clamshell?
- The plural of clamshell is clamshells.
Words near clamshell in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: clamshell (page history and authors); clamshell (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-clamshell.wav.
Cite this entry: “clamshell.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/clamshell. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.