# clamp

Pronunciation: say "KLAMP" /klæmp/

## Noun

1. A brace, band, or clasp used to hold things together or strengthen a joint.
   - Simple: A tool that grips two or more things and holds them firmly together.
   - _The carpenter used a clamp to hold the joint steady as the adhesive cured._
   - _He fixed several clamps along the edge of the workbench._
4. A surgical instrument used to temporarily close off a blood vessel or duct.
   - Simple: A tool doctors use to press a blood vessel closed for a short time.
   - _The surgeon applied a clamp to the severed vein before suturing._
   - _Vascular clamps must be released slowly to avoid a sudden surge of blood._
5. A device locked onto a car's wheel to immobilize it until the vehicle is towed or a fine is paid. *(UK)*
   - Simple: A metal lock fixed to a car wheel so the car cannot be driven away.
   - _He returned to find a clamp on his rear wheel and a penalty notice on the windscreen._
   - _Council officers fit clamps to vehicles parked illegally near the high street._
7. A batten fixed across the grain at the end of a board to hold it flat.
   - Simple: A strip of wood fixed across the end of a board to keep it from bending.
   - _The breadboard's clamp runs crosswise to stop the boards from cupping._
   - _Cabinetmakers attach clamps to keep wide tabletops flat over time._
9. A circuit that fixes the positive or negative peaks of a signal at a set value by shifting the signal's DC level.
   - Simple: A small circuit that pushes the top or bottom of an electrical signal to a set level.
   - _The clamp holds the video signal's blanking level at a fixed voltage._
   - _Designers place a clamp before the amplifier to set the baseline._
10. A compact, covered pile of root vegetables or silage stored outdoors for a short period, protected with straw, earth, or both.
   - Simple: A covered heap of crops, like potatoes or beets, stored outside for a short time.
   - _Each fall the farm stored its beets in a long clamp behind the barn._
   - _Sugar-beet clamps line the field edges before the factory collects them._
11. A heap of material stacked together with fuel and burned in a controlled way, used to fire bricks, roast ore, or make charcoal.
   - Simple: A heap of material stacked with fuel and burned slowly, used to fire bricks or make charcoal.
   - _The bricks were fired in a clamp built from the green bricks themselves._
   - _Charcoal burners tended their clamps day and night to control the heat._

## Verb

2. To fasten something in place or join things together with a clamp, or as if with one.
   - Simple: To hold or fix things firmly in place, with a clamp or in a similar way.
   - _He clamped the pipe firmly to the bracket._
   - _The jaws clamp shut around the workpiece._
3. To hold or grip something tightly and firmly.
   - Simple: To hold something very tightly so it cannot move.
   - _Crocodiles clamp their jaws shut with tremendous force._
   - _She clamped the lid down hard to keep the smell in._
6. To immobilize a vehicle by fitting a locking device to one of its wheels.
   - Simple: To lock a metal device onto a car's wheel so it cannot be driven.
   - _Wardens clamped three cars outside the stadium before noon._
   - _They threatened to clamp any vehicle blocking the entrance._
8. To force a numeric value to stay within a set range, replacing any value outside the range with the nearest limit.
   - Simple: To change a number so it stays within set limits, using the nearest allowed value.
   - _The shader clamps each color channel to the range zero through one._
   - _Always clamp user input before passing it to the array index._

## Noun

12. A heavy footfall; the sound of someone treading heavily. *(dated)*
   - Simple: A heavy step, or the loud sound of a heavy foot hitting the ground.
   - _The clamp of the watchman's boots warned the thieves._
   - _Each clamp of his boots shook the wooden floor._

## Verb

13. To walk with heavy, clumsy, noisy steps; to clump or clomp. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To walk with heavy, loud, and clumsy steps.
   - _The workers clamped across the bare floorboards in their boots._
   - _He would clamp down the corridor, waking everyone in the house._
14. To cover stored vegetables, such as roots, with a protective layer of earth. *(obsolete, UK)*
   - Simple: To cover stored vegetables with a layer of soil to keep them safe.
   - _Cottagers clamped their turnips against the winter cold._
   - _They clamp the beets in autumn and uncover them as needed._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–11, 14** — This comes from Middle Dutch "clamp" or "klampe" ("a clamp, hook"), from Proto-Germanic "*klampō" ("clamp, clasp, cramp"). It is related to Middle Low German "klampe" ("hook, clasp"), German "Klampfe" or "Klampe" ("clamp, cleat"), and Norwegian "klamp" ("clamp").
**Meanings 12–13** — This word is imitative in origin, formed to echo a sound.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/clamp (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).