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View synonyms for claim

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.

  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

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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. 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. 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

    1. a demand for payment in connection with an insurance policy, etc

    2. the sum of money demanded

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Other Word Forms

  • claimer noun
  • claimable adjective
  • claimless adjective
  • misclaim verb (used with object)
  • nonclaimable adjective
  • overclaim verb (used with object)
  • preclaim verb (used with object)
  • superclaim noun
  • unclaimed adjective
  • unclaiming adjective
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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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of claim1

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

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Synonym Study

See demand.
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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The state claimed in response that it is regulating business conduct, not speech—ergo, the First Amendment doesn’t apply.

Wall Street market makers claim they are providing liquidity.

The source claimed that Hamas sought to evict the family from the building to establish a new base for its forces there.

Read more on BBC

White House officials cited “ongoing violent riots and lawlessness,” which they claimed local law enforcement was unable to quell, as a justification for deploying the troops.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A winner has 180 days to claim a prize.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

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Related Words

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When To Use

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.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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