paw
1 Americannoun
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the foot of an animal having claws.
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the foot of any animal.
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Informal. the human hand, especially one that is large, rough, or clumsy.
Keep your paws off my property.
verb (used with object)
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to strike or scrape with the paws or feet.
a dog pawing the door.
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Informal. to handle or caress clumsily, rudely, or with unwelcome familiarity.
verb (used without object)
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to beat or scrape the floor, ground, etc., with the paws or feet.
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Informal. to handle or caress someone or something in a clumsy or rude manner or with unwelcome familiarity.
noun
noun
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any of the feet of a four-legged mammal, bearing claws or nails
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informal a hand, esp one that is large, clumsy, etc
verb
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to scrape or contaminate with the paws or feet
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informal (tr) to touch or caress in a clumsy, rough, or overfamiliar manner; maul
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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pawsimple
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pawssimple
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have pawedperfect
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has pawedperfect
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am pawingprogressive
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are pawingprogressive
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is pawingprogressive
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have been pawingperfect progressive
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has been pawingperfect progressive
Past
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pawedsimple
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had pawedperfect
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was pawingprogressive
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were pawingprogressive
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had been pawingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of paw1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English pau(w)e, poue, from Middle French po(u)e (cognate with Provençal pauta ), from Germanic; compare Dutch poot, German Pfote
Origin of paw2
First recorded in 1820–30; earlier and dialect pronunciation of pa
Explanation
A paw is a four-legged animal's foot. Dogs, cats, rabbits, and bears all have paws. Sharks? Not so much. Most paws have claws and soft pads that cushion the animal's legs as it walks. Cats' paws have sharp, retractable claws, while dogs have hard, dull claws that don't retract. There are also many animals with four legs that don't have paws, like horses and lizards. If an animal paws you, it nudges or scrapes you with its paw. If a person paws you, they use their hands clumsily, almost as if they were paws.
Vocabulary lists containing paw
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.
During his run, he said, he was taken aback by sights such as a North Korean raising a poodle’s paw to wave at runners.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
And a former lion from Longleat is being immortalised by an inventor who has recreated her paw print in tyre form, which could help improve the grip of Nasa's rover vehicles that work on Mars.
From BBC • Apr. 12, 2026
Nothing seems to ruffle his fur as this political veteran glides from crisis to crisis with feline calm, and the lick of a paw.
From Barron's • Feb. 15, 2026
Veterinarians determined the female cub had a malformed shoulder and elbow, along with a BB pellet embedded in her paw, the nonprofit said.
From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2025
Nanuq closed his eyes and laid his white paw over his black nose, making himself completely white.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
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.
