claw back

British  

verb

1. to get back (something) with difficulty

2. to recover (a sum of money), esp by taxation or a penalty

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noun

1. the recovery of a sum of money, esp by taxation or a penalty

2. the sum so recovered

Example Sentences

After a period of slowing demand for high-end goods, the luxury industry is hopeful that upward trends among Chinese consumers, as well as renewed creative teams, will help it claw back some ground.

From The Wall Street Journal

But survival alone isn’t enough to claw back recent losses.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, those potential benefits might be offset by other fiscal policy changes that cut social welfare programs, reduce government funding for research, and claw back outlays for industrial policies that prior administrations provided to support infrastructure and sustainability investments.

From Barron's

Despite not being at 100 percent the 22-year-old somehow found a way to claw back from a break down in the fifth set as the crowd roared him on.

From Barron's

Repair and protect democracy and we could perhaps claw back its original sins as well as its distortions and degradations.

From Slate