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claw back

verb

  1. to get back (something) with difficulty

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

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

  2. the sum so recovered

“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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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.

Now the U.S. is attempting to claw back some of those contracts—a process called “reshoring”—and robots can in some cases quadruple worker output.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

In reality, strategists say the kingdom is trying to achieve several objectives: claw back market share lost to Brazil, Guyana and U.S. shale producers; rein in members of the cartel it dominates that routinely exceed quotas; and raise cash for massive infrastructure projects now beset by cost overruns and delays.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

The cartel is bidding to claw back some of the market share it has lost to the U.S.,

Read more on Barron's

If the religious right wants to claw back its power in society, this, their activists argue, is the ideal moment—the time for the rise of a conservative Christian coalition more lasting and powerful than the ones that have seesawed out of power in recent years.

Read more on Slate

Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought, who also authored Project 2025, set that notion on fire when he promoted the highly controversial use of “pocket rescissions” to unilaterally claw back spending that had already been signed into law.

Read more on Salon

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