claim
Americanverb (used with object)
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claims,
present (3rd person singular)
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claimed,
past participle, past
-
claiming
present participle
-
to demand by or as by virtue of a right; demand as a right or as due.
to claim an estate by inheritance.
-
to assert and demand the recognition of (a right, title, possession, etc.); assert one's right to.
to claim payment for services.
-
to assert or maintain as a fact.
She claimed that he was telling the truth.
-
to require as due or fitting.
to claim respect.
verb (used without object)
-
claims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
claimed,
past participle, past
-
claiming
present participle
noun
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claims
plural
-
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
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an assertion of something as a fact.
He made no claims to originality.
-
a right to claim or demand; a just title to something.
His claim to the heavyweight title is disputed.
-
something that is claimed, especially a piece of public land for which formal request is made for mining or other purposes.
-
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.
idioms
verb
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to demand as being due or as one's property; assert one's title or right to
he claimed the record
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(takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to assert as a fact; maintain against denial
he claimed to be telling the truth
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to call for or need; deserve
this problem claims our attention
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to take
the accident claimed four lives
noun
-
an assertion of a right; a demand for something as due
-
an assertion of something as true, real, or factual
he made claims for his innocence
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a right or just title to something; basis for demand
a claim to fame
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to assert one's possession of or right to
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anything that is claimed, esp in a formal or legal manner, such as a piece of land staked out by a miner
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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
-
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a demand for payment in connection with an insurance policy, etc
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the sum of money demanded
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Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
See demand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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claimernoun
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superclaimnoun
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misclaimverb (used with object)
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overclaimverb (used with object)
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preclaimverb (used with object)
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claimableadjective
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claimlessadjective
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nonclaimableadjective
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unclaimedadjective
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unclaimingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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claimsimple
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claimssimple
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have claimedperfect
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has claimedperfect
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am claimingprogressive
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are claimingprogressive
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is claimingprogressive
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have been claimingperfect progressive
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has been claimingperfect progressive
Past
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claimedsimple
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had claimedperfect
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was claimingprogressive
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were claimingprogressive
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had been claimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of claim
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
Explanation
When you express your right to something, you're making a claim to it, like telling your sister, "This bowl of cereal is mine." A claim is when you express your right to something that belongs to you, like your medical records or the deed to your home. When you make a claim or claim something, you're demanding it or saying it’s true. People claim dependents and deductions on their taxes. In court, you could claim you deserve money from an employer who cheated you. You could claim you can juggle chainsaws. With any kind of claim, you're going to have to prove it.
Vocabulary lists containing claim
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Argumentative Writing
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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.
See Examples For:
But it was a claim made from a position of serious weakness.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
Seated in a brown leather armchair while holding a coffee mug, Michigan’s Democratic Senate nominee lays claim to his Muslim faith in straightforward, affecting terms.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
All three researchers claim they have never shared OpenAI’s confidential information with anyone outside the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Nevertheless, the claim has been amplified in a number of arenas in recent days.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
But one way or another, I’ll get to that finish line to claim my finisher’s medal, and then I’ll go out to lunch with my family and Jonah’s.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
The Daily Star says the "Duchess heard 'disturbing' claims soon after wedding", when she married the Duke of Sussex.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
He told the Daily Mail that he was “shocked” and “hurt” by his son’s claims and that he “could never do” what he’s being accused of.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Permitting selected claims to be heard there instead of in Finra’s cheaper forum—as the regulator’s questions for public comment contemplate—would hamper investors’ ability to recover big losses, especially from flagrant fraud or misconduct.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
The scapegoating wasn’t just happening on the right: A former L.A. resident who is Iranian-American and a Democrat told Salon that during the 2025 fires, friends reposted claims blaming Native communities for water shortages.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Proof, you see, that my claims in Manhattan and Brooklyn still hold.”
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
Although this led to minor swelling, William did not seek medical attention and claimed that he waited to contact police because he was afraid.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Khyliuk claimed that soon after their transfer to Pakino, Hubbard was hidden to conceal his condition from a team of International Red Cross visitors.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
She claimed to have designed the racy new uniform that made its debut in 1972—a claim supported by Vonciel Baker, one of the Original Seven, who said: “She did it. No doubt. I was there.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Wonder’s legal representatives also claimed they gave Efferson “three additional opportunities to permit entry” for an inspection, but she failed to respond.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Mrs. Rendel claimed this would provide a “reset” and give the boy a “stable environment.”
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
Ninety-six-year-old Lillian Droniak, known as Grandma Droniak to her social media followers, went viral in June after claiming her retirement home had threatened to evict her for throwing parties.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Like breath strips, they dissolve on the tongue, claiming a faster way to better sleep, healthier skin and other benefits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Last week, the Indonesian government said it had deployed more than 60,000 personnel to carry out a "land operation", claiming they'd achieved an 80% success rate in extinguishing new fires.
From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026
NCDs cover eight of the top 10 causes of death, with cardiovascular diseases the biggest killer by far, claiming almost 20 million deaths a year.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Aimee considered opting out by claiming low blood sugar from involuntary fasting, but she decided against starting out the year as the class hypochondriac.
From "Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story" by Nora Raleigh Baskin
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
