claim

[ kleym ]

/ kleɪm /

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See synonyms for: claim / claimed / claiming / claims on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

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)

to make or file a claim: to claim for additional compensation.

noun

a demand for something as due; an assertion of a right or an alleged right: He made unreasonable claims on the doctor's time.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR claim

6 request, requisition, call.

See synonyms for claim on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about claim

lay claim to, to declare oneself entitled to: I have never laid claim to being an expert in tax laws.

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

synonym study for claim

1. See demand.

historical usage of claim

The English noun claim comes from the verb, which in turn comes from the Old French verb clamer (stem claim- ) “to summon to law, affirm vigorously,” from the Latin verb clāmāre “to shout, accompany with shouts, shout the name of.”
The verb claim originally meant “to assert a legal right, to make a demand for something that is one’s due.” In the 19th century, claim developed a looser, less strict sense, especially in American usage, “to make an unsubstantiated statement; assert or maintain as a fact,” a meaning considered inelegant at that time but also one that occurs in the writings of Chaucer.
The legal term quitclaim meaning “to quit or give up a right or claim” dates from the 14th century in England. The noun claim meaning “a request or demand for payment in accordance with an insurance policy” dates from the 19th century.
Just as we intuitively understand the relationship between claim and quitclaim, it's pretty clear how the words acclaim, reclaim, proclaim, etc., are related in meaning and etymology to claim.

OTHER WORDS FROM claim

claim·a·ble, adjectiveclaimless, adjectivemis·claim, verb (used with object)non·claim·a·ble, adjective

o·ver·claim, verb (used with object)pre·claim, verb (used with object), nounsu·per·claim, nounun·claimed, adjectiveun·claim·ing, adjective

Words nearby claim

claes, clafoutis, clag, claggy, Claiborne, claim, claimant, claim check, claimer, claiming race, claim-jumper

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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?

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

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

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.

How to use claim in a sentence

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.
What happens to an entrenched two-party system when one party undermines the system?|Philip Bump|February 12, 2021|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.”
A Georgetown professor trades her classroom for a police beat|Ronald S. Sullivan Jr.|February 12, 2021|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.
Lincoln Project tweeted a co-founder’s private messages after leaders promised to probe sexual harassment claims|Andrea Salcedo|February 12, 2021|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.
HUD expands fair housing protections for transgender people|Tracy Jan|February 11, 2021|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.
20 ingenious uses for WD-40|By Bill Heavey/Field & Stream|February 11, 2021|Popular-Science
Defenders of the status quo claim the old rules protect consumers.
Why Do ‘Progressives’ Want to Ban Uber and AirBnB?|Adam Thierer, Christopher Koopman|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
How the hell does somebody show up at a David Duke organized event in 2002 and claim ignorance?
No. 3 Republican Admits Talking to White Supremacist Conference|Tim Mak|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The claim is one of a series of allegations made in a controversial documentary that the BBC has now pulled.
Pulled Documentary Says William Felt ‘Used’ by Charles’ Push for Camilla|Tom Sykes|December 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They were called La Red Avispa (The Wasp Network) and claim to have successfully foiled a number of threats against the island.
Of Cuban Spies, a Baby, and a Filmmaker: The Strange Tale of the Cuban Five|Nina Strochlic|December 28, 2014|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.
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony|Marc Rogers|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The purchasers found that this claim was not well founded, and sought to recover their money.
Women in the fine arts, from the Seventh Century B.C. to the Twentieth Century A.D.|Clara Erskine Clement
I claim that it contains many errors of fact, and the Higher Criticism supports the claim; as we shall see.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
He took mental inventory of his possessions and what he could lay claim to, and he happened to think about his wife's homestead.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux
Having thus enrolled himself as one of the Agency Indians, he had a claim on this the Agency doctor.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
Who was he, indeed, that he should claim the right to thwart another's happiness, hinder another's best self-realisation?
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood

British Dictionary definitions for claim

claim

/ (kleɪm) /

verb (mainly tr)

to demand as being due or as one's property; assert one's title or right tohe claimed the record

(takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to assert as a fact; maintain against denialhe claimed to be telling the truth

to call for or need; deservethis problem claims our attention

to takethe accident claimed four lives

noun

an assertion of a right; a demand for something as due

an assertion of something as true, real, or factualhe made claims for his innocence

a right or just title to something; basis for demanda claim to fame

lay claim to or stake a claim to to assert one's possession of or right to

anything that is claimed, esp in a formal or legal manner, such as a piece of land staked out by a miner

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 actformer name writ 1

a demand for payment in connection with an insurance policy, etc
the sum of money demanded

Derived forms of claim

claimable, adjectiveclaimer, noun

Word Origin for claim

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

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with claim

claim

In addition to the idiom beginning with claim

claim check

also see:

lay claim to
stake a claim

claim

OTHER WORDS FOR claim

Idioms about claim

Origin of claim

synonym study for claim

historical usage of claim

OTHER WORDS FROM claim

Words nearby claim

MORE ABOUT CLAIM

What does claim mean?

Where does claim come from?

Did you know … ?

How is claim used in real life?

Try using claim!

Words related to claim

How to use claim in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for claim

Derived forms of claim

Word Origin for claim

Other Idioms and Phrases with claim