clawback

1 of 2

noun

claw·​back ˈklȯ-ˌbak 

plural clawbacks

: the act or an instance of getting back money or benefits previously given out: such as

a

: the recovery of tax allowances by additional taxation

Next year sees the resumption of a 3% clawback that penalizes most upper-bracket taxpayers.

—William Baldwin

b

: the reclaiming of money or benefits under special circumstances stipulated in a contract

—usually used before another noun

He suggested a clawback provision that would allow companies to demand the return of compensation tied to performance if it turned out that a company's stock performance was inflated by bad business practices or malfeasance.

—Loren Steffy

Criticism of the large bonuses awarded during federally funded bailouts spurred many banks to adopt clawback measures.

—Joann S. Lublin et al.

claw back

2 of 2

verb

clawed back; clawing back; claws back

transitive verb

1

: to get back (something) usually by strenuous effort or forceful means : regain

… the street is becoming a high-profile example of how Iraqi National Guard troops … can claw back territory from insurgents.

—Scott Peterson

Union activists have been knocking on members' doors, standing at the gates of steel mills and generally trying to claw back votes from 2016 …

—Trip Gabriel

2

: to recover (money or benefits) especially by putting into effect additional taxation or clawback provisions

If finance ministers do approve exceptional increases for farm spending, the extra will have to be clawed back in the next two years.

—The Economist

But unbeknownst to you, the drug actually cost only $7, and the pharmacy benefits manager claws back the extra $3.

—Sydney Lupkin

Examples of clawback in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The Unified Government was on track to get a homelessness coordinator through the state, although recent clawbacks on federal funding revoked funding for that position, Howze said. —Sofi Zeman october 3, Kansas City Star, 3 Oct. 2025

His Administration has also looked to slash federal funding through various freezes, clawbacks, cuts, and recissions. —Connor Greene, Time, 3 Oct. 2025

Verb

The City of Milwaukee could be coming for you, with plans to claw back unpaid collections from violators. —Vanessa Swales, jsonline.com, 29 Oct. 2025

The adjustment brought a deep contraction in 2024, big utility bill hikes, and stagnating incomes that only started clawing back in 2025. —Agustina Vergara Cid, Oc Register, 25 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1962, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1852, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for clawback

• aback
• anzac
• attack
• backpack
• backtrack
• bareback
• blackjack
• brownback
• buyback
• callback
• cognac
• comeback