Meaning & use
clam shell
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Meanings
nouncountable
The hard outer shell of a clam, a sea animal with two joined parts.
Grammar: Countable: one clam shell, several clam shells.
Patterns
- a clam shell on the beach
- collect clam shells
She picked up a pink clam shell on the beach.
The children collected clam shells and put them in a bucket.
nouncountable
A container with two parts joined by a hinge, used for takeaway food.
Grammar: Usually written as one word, clamshell, in this sense.
Patterns
- a clamshell container
- pack something in a clamshell
The salad came in a clear clamshell container.
Please put the berries in a clamshell box for the trip.
nouncountablecomputing
A phone or laptop that folds open and closed like a shell.
Grammar: Often written as one word, clamshell, and used before another noun.
Patterns
- a clamshell phone
- a clamshell design
He still uses an old clamshell phone.
The laptop has a clamshell design that opens to a flat screen.
Word forms
| plural | clam shells |
|---|
Common combinations
- a clamshell container
- The takeaway was packed in a clamshell container.
- a clamshell phone
- My grandmother prefers a clamshell phone with big buttons.
- open like a clamshell
- The case opens like a clamshell.
- clam shells on the shore
- We found clam shells all along the shore.
Synonyms and how they differ
- shell
- A general word for any hard outer covering; clam shell names the animal specifically.
- hinged container
- Describes the container sense in plain language, but it does not suggest the shell shape.
Word family
Commonly confused: clam shell or clam? clam shell or shell?
clam shell vs clam
A clam is the living animal; a clam shell is only its hard outer covering.
clam shell vs shell
'Shell' can mean a bomb or a command line in computing, so be clear which meaning you intend.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'clam shell' in the container sense?
Choose one answer.
The container sense means a hinged plastic box, as in the fruit example. The other options describe the animal's hard outer covering.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “clam shell”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.