claim
Americanverb (used with object)
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claims,
present (3rd person singular)
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claimed,
past participle, past
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claiming
present participle
-
to demand by or as by virtue of a right; demand as a right or as due.
to claim an estate by inheritance.
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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.
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to require as due or fitting.
to claim respect.
verb (used without object)
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claims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
claimed,
past participle, past
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claiming
present participle
noun
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claims
plural
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a demand for something as due; an assertion of a right or an alleged right.
He made unreasonable claims on the doctor's time.
- Synonyms:
- call, requisition, request
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an assertion of something as a fact.
He made no claims to originality.
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a right to claim or demand; a just title to something.
His claim to the heavyweight title is disputed.
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something that is claimed, especially a piece of public land for which formal request is made for mining or other purposes.
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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.
idioms
verb
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to demand as being due or as one's property; assert one's title or right to
he claimed the record
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(takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to assert as a fact; maintain against denial
he claimed to be telling the truth
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to call for or need; deserve
this problem claims our attention
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to take
the accident claimed four lives
noun
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an assertion of a right; a demand for something as due
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an assertion of something as true, real, or factual
he made claims for his innocence
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a right or just title to something; basis for demand
a claim to fame
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to assert one's possession of or right to
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anything that is claimed, esp in a formal or legal manner, such as a piece of land staked out by a miner
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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 act former name writ 1
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a demand for payment in connection with an insurance policy, etc
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the sum of money demanded
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Usage
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.
Synonym Usage
See demand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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claimernoun
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superclaimnoun
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misclaimverb (used with object)
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overclaimverb (used with object)
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preclaimverb (used with object)
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claimableadjective
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claimlessadjective
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nonclaimableadjective
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unclaimedadjective
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unclaimingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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claimsimple
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claimssimple
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have claimedperfect
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has claimedperfect
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am claimingprogressive
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are claimingprogressive
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is claimingprogressive
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have been claimingperfect progressive
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has been claimingperfect progressive
Past
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claimedsimple
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had claimedperfect
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was claimingprogressive
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were claimingprogressive
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had been claimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
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
Explanation
When you express your right to something, you're making a claim to it, like telling your sister, "This bowl of cereal is mine." A claim is when you express your right to something that belongs to you, like your medical records or the deed to your home. When you make a claim or claim something, you're demanding it or saying it’s true. People claim dependents and deductions on their taxes. In court, you could claim you deserve money from an employer who cheated you. You could claim you can juggle chainsaws. With any kind of claim, you're going to have to prove it.
Vocabulary lists containing claim
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Argumentative Writing
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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:
In June he revealed a state budget measure that capped how much in tax credits a business can claim each year, a limit industry groups warned would undercut the expanded program.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026
“Germany wants to claim leadership; it isn’t always making great efforts in keeping its partners happy,” he added.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
She’s lived through it, not the version stand-up bros claim to have suffered during their latest Netflix specials.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Cisco is the “ultimate dot-com poster child trying to claim relevance in today’s bubble,” Goldberg said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
He’d never met anyone who could claim to have seen more of Boris Karloff’s filmography than he had.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
To make sense of these claims, I reached out to Zeke Faux, the author of Number Go Up and a journalist who has been chronicling Bitcoin’s rise and fall and rise for years.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
But the Fair Games Coalition claims she responded to their requests to meet and discuss their concerns by resigning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026
Damian dismissed an earlier version of the complaint in September 2025 but allowed the plaintiffs to amend their claims.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2026
Apple claims these now have the most accurate wearable heart-rate trackers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
To that point went every leisure moment which her father’s claims on her allowed, and every moment of involuntary absence of mind.
From "Emma" by Jane Austen
In 2024 the District of Columbia sued him for tax fraud in a case Saylor settled for $40 million, making it the largest recovery the city has ever claimed.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
He was diagnosed with NAION, which eventually claimed two-thirds of his vision in his left eye.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
Rios was not charged in connection with the helicopter crash that claimed the lives of a pilot, an NBC4 reporter and a bystander.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
This comes after Earl Spencer claimed the then-Prince Charles said, referring to Diana, "we'll forget her soon enough" days after she died.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Rather than a prisoner transport bus, Sara left the courthouse in a limousine with two people who claimed to be spies.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
“They missed the shift to the cloud and now they are trying to make up for lost time by claiming relevance in AI.”
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 19, 2026
This strategy is classic “whataboutism,” which is defined as “the act or practice of responding to an accusation of wrongdoing by claiming that an offense committed by another is similar or worse.”
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Letters from 24 people were sent to the Government of Jersey's environment department claiming dredging at St Aubin could harm wildlife and be a danger to people.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
If someone calls claiming to be from a bank, hang up and call the bank yourself using the number on your statement or card.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
Now, thanks to Bertillon, the police could determine if a man claiming to be John Reynolds was actually Jack the Ripper.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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.
