paw

1 of 2

noun

ˈpȯ 

1

: the foot of a quadruped (such as a lion or dog) that has claws

broadly : the foot of an animal

2

: a human hand especially when large or clumsy

paw

2 of 2

verb

pawed; pawing; paws

transitive verb

1

: to touch or strike at with a paw

2

: to feel or touch clumsily, rudely, or sexually

3

: to scrape or beat with or as if with a hoof

4

: to flail at or grab for wildly

intransitive verb

1

: to beat or scrape something with or as if with a hoof

2

: to touch or strike with a paw

3

: to feel or touch someone or something clumsily, rudely, or sexually

4

: to flail or grab wildly

5

: to search especially carelessly or roughly

pawed through the box of discount items

Examples of paw in a Sentence

Noun

The dog injured his paw.

Verb

The bull was pawing the dirt.

The celebrity couple was pawed by a mob of adoring fans.

She claims that her boss got drunk and tried to paw her at the company Christmas party.

A crowd of customers was pawing over the remaining sales items.

She pawed through her purse to find her cell phone.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Cast as Bud — a scene-stealing feline with a lion’s mane and a tendency to bite — the cat plays a key role opposite Austin Butler and Zoë Kravitz, enduring shoot-outs, car chases and even a broken paw (don’t worry, the villain gets his comeuppance). —Steve Garbarino, HollywoodReporter, 24 Oct. 2025

The hilarious clip, shared on Monday under the username @caragamblee, shows the pup sleeping on the bed with his belly up and his paws stretched out, all while resting his head on the pillow. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025

Verb

When all was done her pasture mate pawed at her grave, laid down, and rolled and rolled — over and over again. —Chi Varnado, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Oct. 2025

Sully can barely contain his excitement long enough for his owner to put a collar on him before pawing at the front door to get in the car. —Tabitha Parent, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French powe, poe

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing paw

• cat's-paw

Rhymes for paw

• aah
• ah
• ahh
• aw
• awe
• bah
• blah
• bra
• caw
• claw
• craw
• daw

Kids Definition

paw

1 of 2 noun

ˈpȯ 

1

: the foot of a four-footed animal (as a lion or dog) having claws

also : the foot of an animal

2

: a human hand especially when large or clumsy

paw

2 of 2 verb

1

: to touch or strike with a paw

2

: to touch or handle clumsily or rudely

pawed the merchandise

3

: to scrape or beat with or as if with a hoof

4

: to grab at wildly

5

: to search especially carelessly or roughly

pawed through the box of letters