claw
Americannoun
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claws
plural
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a sharp, usually curved, nail on the foot of an animal, as on a cat, dog, or bird.
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a similar curved process at the end of the leg of an insect.
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the pincerlike extremity of specific limbs of certain arthropods.
lobster claws.
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any part or thing resembling a claw, as the cleft end of the head of a hammer.
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Typography. the hooklike projection from the right side of an r or from the bowl of a g.
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(in a motion-picture mechanism) a device having one or two teeth that hook into the perforations of a length of film and move it one frame at a time at any given speed.
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Jewelry. one of a group of slender, tapering metal projections rising from the base of a jewelry setting, used to hold a transparent or faceted gemstone in position.
verb (used with object)
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claws,
present (3rd person singular)
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clawed,
past participle, past
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clawing
present participle
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to tear, scratch, seize, pull, etc., with or as if with claws.
The kitten clawed my sweater to shreds.
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to make by or as if by scratching, digging, etc., with hands or claws.
to claw a hole in the earth.
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to proceed by or as if by using the hands.
He clawed his way through the crowd.
verb (used without object)
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claws,
present (3rd person singular)
-
clawed,
past participle, past
-
clawing
present participle
-
to scratch, tear, or dig with or as if with claws.
The cat clawed and hissed in fear.
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to make fumbling motions.
He clawed at the door. She clawed for the light switch.
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Scot. to scratch gently, as to relieve itching.
verb phrase
noun
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a curved pointed horny process on the end of each digit in birds, some reptiles, and certain mammals
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a corresponding structure in some invertebrates, such as the pincer of a crab
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a part or member like a claw in function or appearance
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botany the narrow basal part of certain petals and sepals
verb
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to scrape, tear, or dig (something or someone) with claws, etc
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(tr) to create by scratching as with claws
to claw an opening
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A sharp, curved nail at the end of a toe of a mammal, reptile, or bird.
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A pincer, as of a lobster or crab, used for grasping.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clawsimple
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clawssimple
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have clawedperfect
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has clawedperfect
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am clawingprogressive
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are clawingprogressive
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is clawingprogressive
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have been clawingperfect progressive
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has been clawingperfect progressive
Past
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clawedsimple
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had clawedperfect
-
was clawingprogressive
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were clawingprogressive
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had been clawingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of claw
First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English clawu; cognate with Old High German chlō(a), akin to Dutch klauw, German Klaue; (verb) Middle English clawen, Old English claw(i)an, derivative of clawu (noun); akin to Dutch klauwen, German klauen
Explanation
The word claw is all about grabbing. It could be a lobster claw or even an ambitious worker clawing his way up the corporate ladder. As a noun, a claw is the pointy finger-like grabbers that birds, insects, and some lizards and mammals have. Machines can have claws too, and maybe you’ve seen the game at an arcade where you make a metal claw pick up a toy. Claw can be a verb as well, meaning to grab, scratch, or pull in a painful and jolting way. Should someone bury you up to your neck in a hole, you’ll have to claw your way out. And you can accidentally claw your date if you grab her arm during a scary movie.
Vocabulary lists containing claw
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
The Dodgers’ series against the Brewers set up a chance for the home team to claw back onto the top of the National League standings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Both del Toro and Pogacar dropped Vingegaard on Thursday, and while Vingo managed to claw back into second place, del Toro may be the closest rider to Pogacar in the race.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
A resilient Gauff begins to claw her way back, but Muchova halts the American's momentum with a sensational diving volley.
From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026
The new model was flashy, black-light entertainment with thumping music, huge video screens, arcade games and claw machines, along with upscale food and drink at double or triple the prices of standard bowling-alley fare.
From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026
It swiped at the ancestral spirits, trying to claw their shimmering forms.
From "Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky" by Kwame Mbalia
Equity markets fluctuated ahead of the CPI release, though Seoul enjoyed another strong day as it claws back some of the huge tech-led losses sustained in July.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Aesthetes had been howling about the Freedom 250 set, a soaring, 92-foot tall structure which resembled one of those arcade machine claws in which you try and fail to grab a stuffed hippopotamus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026
Dame Julia has written more than 200 books and is best known for The Gruffalo - a story of a frightening woodland creature with terrible claws, and terrible teeth in his terrible jaws.
From BBC ● Jun. 12, 2026
Their analysis showed that the claws of this fossil bug were strikingly different from those found in other insects.
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
There, in the distance, Twitch lay on the far side, while just behind her loomed the great black-backed gull with one of its claws brushing down upon her back.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
"If they don't, expenditure can be clawed back."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
A clawed caper at the Santa Monica Pier went awry despite “sophisticated” attempts by suspects to get away with poaching roughly three dozen spiny lobsters, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Williams clawed back a few times when she looked good and cooked, and when she did that, she let out a signature Serena “Come on!”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026
SK Hynix and Samsung clawed back some of their recent losses in Asian trading.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
Guilt clawed at the back of Mrs. Richardson’s neck like a spider.
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
In its place, Bessent said, America now has a “C economy,” in which lower wage earners are, in his telling, finally clawing their way back.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
Forecasts projected a deficit approaching $6 billion before a newly split legislature began clawing the budget back toward sanity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
It is too easy to think of people like Deborah as clawing back their careers for fame, validation or money rather than a deep and essential love of their art.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Fabio's prediction: Carrick seems to have the knack of clawing a win even when United are not playing great.
From BBC ● May 7, 2026
He stumbled forward, clawing at the air as if he’d suddenly gone blind.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
