1
: a device designed to bind or constrict or to press two or more parts together so as to hold them firmly
2
: any of various instruments or appliances having parts brought together for holding or compressing something
clamped; clamping; clamps
1
: to fasten with or as if with a clamp
clamp two boards together
2
a
: to place by decree : impose
—often used with on
clamped on a curfew after the riots
b
: to hold tightly
Synonyms
Examples of clamp in a Sentence
Verb
The surgeon clamped the vein.
He clamped the two pieces of wood together.
The bit was clamped firmly between the horse's teeth.
He clamped his mouth shut and refused to speak.
Recent Examples on the Web
Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2024
The clamp is easy to attach to bed frames and side tables.
—Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024
Colton Pouncy, The Athletic, 2 Aug. 2024
Every which way, the Bronx is sewn and bound and grappled and clamped to the rest of the city.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for clamp 
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Noun
One end of whichever cable is being used gets hooked onto a padded clamp that is securely fastened around the handle of a dumbbell.
—Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2024
The clamp is easy to attach to bed frames and side tables.
—Brenda Stolyar, WIRED, 9 Oct. 2024
Verb
On one particular rep with the backups, he got clamped by Kindle Vildor.
—Colton Pouncy, The Athletic, 2 Aug. 2024
Every which way, the Bronx is sewn and bound and grappled and clamped to the rest of the city.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for clamp
Dictionary Entries Near clamp
Cite this Entry
“Clamp.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clamp. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
clamp
1 of 2 noun
: a device that holds or presses parts together firmly
clamp
2 of 2 verb
: to fasten or tighten with or as if with a clamp
Medical Definition
clamp
1 of 2 noun
: any of various instruments or appliances having parts brought together for holding or compressing something
especially
: an instrument used to hold, compress, or crush vessels and hollow organs and to aid in surgical excision of parts
an arterial clamp
clamp
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to fasten with or as if with a clamp
the descending thoracic aorta was clamped—W. A. Banks et al.
W. A. Banks et al.Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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