soft-shell clam

noun

: an elongated clam (Mya arenaria) of the east coast of North America that has a thin friable shell and long siphon and is eaten especially when steamed

called also soft-shelled clam, steamer

Examples of soft-shell clam in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But diners will get a soft-shell clam belly broil made with Ipswich clams, a popular menu item in its day. — Robert Simonson, New York Times, 4 Mar. 2020 The crab was blamed for wiping out the soft-shell clam industry on the US East Coast in the early 1900s. — Katie Hunt, CNN, 20 Jan. 2022 The crabs’ rise has coincided with the decline of the Maine soft-shell clam industry, which had its smallest harvest since the 1930s last year, due in part to an increase in predators, like crabs. — Washington Post, 6 June 2018 Brian Beal, a biologist at the University of Maine at Machias who studies green crabs’ particularly severe damage to soft-shell clam fisheries, says these animals thrive in warmer waters. — Laura Poppick, Scientific American, 30 Oct. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1818, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of soft-shell clam was in 1818

Rhymes for soft-shell clam

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Browse Nearby Words

soft-shell
soft-shell clam
soft-shell crab
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Cite this Entry

“Soft-shell clam.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soft-shell%20clam. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on soft-shell clam

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about soft-shell clam

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