clamp

[klamp] /klæmp/
noun
1.
a device, usually of some rigid material, for strengthening or supporting objects or fastening them together.
2.
an appliance with opposite sides or parts that may be adjusted or brought closer together to hold or compress something.
3.
one of a pair of movable pieces, made of lead or other soft material, for covering the jaws of a vise and enabling it to grasp without bruising.
4.
Also called clamp rail. Carpentry. a rail having a groove or a number of mortises for receiving the ends of a number of boards to bind them into a flat piece, as a drawing board or door.
5.
Nautical.
  1. a horizontal timber in a wooden hull, secured to ribs to support deck beams and to provide longitudinal strength.
  2. mast clamp.
verb (used with object)
6.
to fasten with or fix in a clamp.
Verb phrases
7.
clamp down, to become more strict:
There were too many tax loopholes, so the government clamped down.
8.
clamp down on, to impose or increase controls on.
Origin
1350-1400; Middle English (noun) < Middle Dutch clampe clamp, cleat; cognate with Middle Low German klampe
Related forms
unclamped, adjective
Synonyms
6. clinch, clench, secure.
Examples from the web for clamp
  • Then clamp the template onto the beams to guide your cuts.
  • After you clamp it on, you lift the tree and slip its receptacle-covered base into a hemispherical stand.
  • The agency said a clamp that stabilizes the handlebar can crack, allowing the unit to move.
  • If there is no clamp, a plumber may be needed to remove the pump.
  • They are furtive and wary of the clamp of recognition, of that proof and loss of faith.
  • Most modern crocs simply use their powerful jaws to clamp down on their prey.
  • She taught her how to clamp her strong jaws on its throat.
  • The animal is known for its ability to clamp itself to rocks under its large, flat, ear-shaped shell.
  • The straight temples clamp on tightly, as do the sticky nose pads.
  • He actually prefers half of an unshelled peanut kernel, around which he can easily clamp down with his beak.
British Dictionary definitions for clamp

clamp1

/klæmp/
noun
1.
a mechanical device with movable jaws with which an object can be secured to a bench or with which two objects may be secured together
2.
See also wheel clamp
3.
a means by which a fixed joint may be strengthened
4.
(nautical) a horizontal beam fastened to the ribs for supporting the deck beams in a wooden vessel
verb (transitive)
5.
to fix or fasten with or as if with a clamp
6.
to immobilize (a car) by means of a wheel clamp
7.
to inflict or impose forcefully: they clamped a curfew on the town
Word Origin
C14: from Dutch or Low German klamp; related to Old English clamm bond, fetter, Old Norse kleppr lump

clamp2

/klæmp/
noun
1.
a mound formed out of a harvested root crop, covered with straw and earth to protect it from winter weather
2.
a pile of bricks ready for processing in a furnace
verb
3.
(transitive) to enclose (a harvested root crop) in a mound
Word Origin
C16: from Middle Dutch klamp heap; related to clump
Word Origin and History for clamp
n.

device for fastening, c.1300, probably from clamb, perhaps originally past tense of climb (v.), or from Middle Dutch clampe (Dutch klamp), from West Germanic *klamp- "clamp, cleat;" cf. Middle Low German klampe "clasp, hook," Old High German klampfer "clip, clamp;" also probably related to Middle Dutch klamme "a clamp, hook, grapple," Danish klamme "a clamp, cramp," Old English clamm "fetter;" see clam (n.).

v.

"to fasten with a clamp," 1670s, from clamp (n.). Related: Clamped; clamping.

clamp in Medicine

clamp (klāmp)
n.
An instrument for the compression or grasping of a structure.