claim

[ kleym ]

verb (used with object)

1. to demand by or as by virtue of a right; demand as a right or as due:

   to claim an estate by inheritance.

2. to assert and demand the recognition of (a right, title, possession, etc.); assert one's right to:

   to claim payment for services.

3. to assert or maintain as a fact:

   She claimed that he was telling the truth.

4. to require as due or fitting:

   to claim respect.

verb (used without object)

1. to make or file a claim:

   to claim for additional compensation.

noun

1. a demand for something as due; an assertion of a right or an alleged right:

   He made unreasonable claims on the doctor's time.

   Synonyms: call, requisition, request

2. an assertion of something as a fact:

   He made no claims to originality.

3. a right to claim or demand; a just title to something:

   His claim to the heavyweight title is disputed.

4. something that is claimed, especially a piece of public land for which formal request is made for mining or other purposes.
5. a request or demand for payment in accordance with an insurance policy, a workers' compensation law, etc.:

   We filed a claim for compensation from the company.

claim

/ kleɪm /

verb

1. to demand as being due or as one's property; assert one's title or right to

   he claimed the record

2. takes a clause as object or an infinitive to assert as a fact; maintain against denial

   he claimed to be telling the truth

3. to call for or need; deserve

   this problem claims our attention

4. to take

   the accident claimed four lives

noun

1. an assertion of a right; a demand for something as due
2. an assertion of something as true, real, or factual

   he made claims for his innocence

3. a right or just title to something; basis for demand

   a claim to fame

4. lay claim to
   lay claim tostake a claim to to assert one's possession of or right to
5. anything that is claimed, esp in a formal or legal manner, such as a piece of land staked out by a miner
6. See writ
   law a document under seal, issued in the name of the Crown or a court, commanding the person to whom it is addressed to do or refrain from doing some specified act former name writ 1
7. 1. a demand for payment in connection with an insurance policy, etc
   2. the sum of money demanded

Derived Forms

• ˈclaimer, noun
• ˈclaimable, adjective

Other Words From

• claima·ble adjective
• claimless adjective
• mis·claim verb (used with object)
• non·claima·ble adjective
• over·claim verb (used with object)
• pre·claim verb (used with object) noun
• super·claim noun
• un·claimed adjective
• un·claiming adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of claim¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English claimen, from Anglo-French, Old French claimer, from Latin clāmāre “to cry out”; (noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French cla(i)me; the noun is derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of claim¹

C13: from Old French claimer to call, appeal, from Latin clāmāre to shout

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. lay claim to, to declare oneself entitled to:

   I have never laid claim to being an expert in tax laws.

More idioms and phrases containing claim

In addition to the idiom beginning with claim , also see lay claim to ; stake a claim .

Synonym Study

See demand.

Example Sentences

Before the 2016 election and, from a bigger platform, before the 2020 election, he amplified unfounded claims about the flaws in the electoral system to try to backstop his potential electoral loss.

From Washington Post

To be sure, Brooks recognizes the “otherization” at play when officers peremptorily reject claims that racial bias insinuates itself into policing decisions by reducing 7-D residents to “animals.”

From Washington Post

Those claims came into question on Thursday, when the Associated Press reported that leaders of the organization were notified in June of at least 10 harassment claims against Weaver, including two involving Lincoln Project employees.

From Washington Post

A HUD official told The Washington Post that Thursday’s move expands the universe of people who can file a fair-housing complaint because individuals will no longer have to make a nonconformity allegation in discrimination claims.

From Washington Post

If it stops you, maybe you should switch to DEET, sunscreen, or Johnson Wax, as the users of these products make the same claim.

From Popular-Science

Defenders of the status quo claim the old rules protect consumers.

From The Daily Beast

How the hell does somebody show up at a David Duke organized event in 2002 and claim ignorance?

From The Daily Beast

The claim is one of a series of allegations made in a controversial documentary that the BBC has now pulled.

From The Daily Beast

They were called La Red Avispa (The Wasp Network) and claim to have successfully foiled a number of threats against the island.

From The Daily Beast

The FBI and the President may claim that the Hermit Kingdom is to blame for the most high-profile network breach in forever.

From The Daily Beast

The purchasers found that this claim was not well founded, and sought to recover their money.

From Project Gutenberg

I claim that it contains many errors of fact, and the Higher Criticism supports the claim; as we shall see.

From Project Gutenberg

He took mental inventory of his possessions and what he could lay claim to, and he happened to think about his wife's homestead.

From Project Gutenberg

Having thus enrolled himself as one of the Agency Indians, he had a claim on this the Agency doctor.

From Project Gutenberg

Who was he, indeed, that he should claim the right to thwart another's happiness, hinder another's best self-realisation?

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• allegation
• application
• assertion
• call
• case
• demand
• interest
• petition
• plea
• request
• requirement
• suit

More About Claim

What does claim mean?

To claim something is to maintain that the something is a fact, as in The company claims its product cures hiccups.

A claim is the assertion of a fact, as in The claim that Shayna has a beautiful voice was proved when she began to sing.

To claim is also to demand one’s right to something, such as to claim payment for a service given.

As a noun, this claim can be the demand for that something, such as a claim on your time.

Example: My ancestors laid claim to this land decades ago and I don’t plan on letting it go any time soon.

Where does claim come from?

The first records of the term claim come from around 1250. It ultimately comes from the Latin clāmāre, meaning “to cry out.”

A claim can be a formal request for something owed or due, such as a claim to the legal ownership of a property. You might make a claim that an item was damaged on arrival through the seller’s form, which would make you eligible for a replacement or a refund.

Laying claim to something means to describe yourself as entitled to that thing. For example when a scientist develops a new theory and publishes it, they have laid claim to their academic findings.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to claim?

• claimable (adjective)
• claimless (adjective)
• misclaim (verb)
• nonclaimable (adjective)

What are some synonyms for claim?

• demand
• application
• case
• allege
• declare
• challenge

What are some words that share a root or word element with claim? 

• claimant
• claim check
• clamor

What are some words that often get used in discussing claim?

• deed
• insurance
• land
• lay
• support

How is claim used in real life?

Claim is usually used in relation to legal or official situations.

2020 is yours…. Claim it.

— Jordan Daley (@JDaIey) December 29, 2019

ppl just not as solid and real as they claim

— RUSS (@russdiemon) February 9, 2020

Everybody claim to be real but I see the lies here

— THE VOICE (@lildurk) April 3, 2020

Try using claim!

True or False?

To make a claim is to give up all rights to something.