Main Entry: ¹claim

Pronunciation: \ˈklām\

Function: transitive verb

Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French claimer, clamer, from Latin clamare to cry out, shout; akin to Latin calare to call — more at low

Date: 14th century

1 a : to ask for especially as a right <claimed the inheritance> b : to call for : require <this matter claims our attention> c : take 16b <the accident claimed her life>
2 : to take as the rightful owner
3 a : to assert in the face of possible contradiction : maintain <claimed that he'd been cheated> b : to claim to have <organization…which claims 11,000…members — Rolling Stone> c : to assert to be rightfully one's own <claimed responsibility for the attack>

synonyms see demand

— claim·able \ˈklā-mə-bəl\ adjective