claim

1 of 2

verb

claimed; claiming; claims

transitive verb

1
a
: to ask for especially as a right
claimed the inheritance
The driver claimed the right to a hearing.
b
: to call for : require
this matter claims our attention
c
: take sense 16b
the accident claimed her life
2
: to take as the rightful owner
claimed her baggage and left the airport
3
a
: to assert in the face of possible contradiction : maintain
claimed that he'd been cheated
is claimed to cause weight loss
b
: to claim to have
organization … which claims 11,000 … membersRolling Stone
c
: to assert to be rightfully one's own
claimed responsibility for the attack
claimable adjective

claim

2 of 2

noun

1
: a demand for something due or believed to be due
an insurance claim
2
a
: a right to something
specifically : a title to a debt, privilege, or other thing in the possession of another
The bank has a claim on their house.
b
: an assertion open to challenge
a claim of authenticity
advertisers' extravagant claims
3
: something that is claimed
especially : a tract of land staked out
The prospector's claim was set at 90 yards to reduce the potential for conflict.
Choose the Right Synonym for claim

demand, claim, require, exact mean to ask or call for something as due or as necessary.

demand implies peremptoriness and insistence and often the right to make requests that are to be regarded as commands.

demanded payment of the debt

claim implies a demand for the delivery or concession of something due as one's own or one's right.

claimed the right to manage his own affairs

require suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, or the exigencies of the situation.

the patient requires constant attention

exact implies not only demanding but getting what one demands.

exacts absolute loyalty

Examples of claim in a Sentence

Verb He claims a connection to British royalty. The organization claims 10,000 members. The terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack. New Yorkers proudly claim the artist as one of their own. Both of them claimed credit for the idea. No one ever claimed authorship for the poem. You should claim compensation for the hours you worked. No heirs came forward to claim the inheritance. Noun She makes the claim that sea levels will actually go down. He made false claims about his past job experience. You'll need to file an insurance claim to pay for the damage. make a claim on your insurance policy All claims must be made in writing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Try provably fair games, make instant withdrawals, and claim up to a 5 BTC welcome bonus accompanied by 200 free spins. Sponsored Content, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Three of this year’s contenders can boast of claiming Hollywood’s biggest prize. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 8 Mar. 2024 But in court documents filed in Charlotte’s U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina, lawyers claim too much research was overlooked or never completed. Julia Coin, Charlotte Observer, 8 Mar. 2024 In an interview with Management Today, James Keyes claims trial by the media is what ultimately killed the iconic company—not Netflix. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 At trial, Chapman claimed another person drove his vehicle and opened fire on the car in which Zy'Aire was riding. Chris Ramirez, Journal Sentinel, 8 Mar. 2024 During this time, the production did not have an outbreak of the virus, lawyers for the crewmembers claimed. Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024 And on foreign policy, the Alabama senator claimed that the U.S. has retreated on the world stage, allowing adversaries like Russia and Iran to act without repercussions. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2024 Nearly 2,500 grumpy golf fans have requested ticket refunds from the Waste Management Phoenix Open, claiming they were barred from entering the tournament after organizers closed the gates to mitigate the drunken chaos that overwhelmed this year's event. The Arizona Republic, 8 Mar. 2024
Noun
The competing claims are one of the most challenging elements of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Sufian Taha, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 The claim: Biden admitted 'illegals' are killing Americans by the thousands in SOTU speech A March 7 Instagram post (direct link, archive link) shows Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene interrupting President Joe Biden's State of the Union address. Andre Byik, USA TODAY, 9 Mar. 2024 The office also rejected the claim that US had or was covering up a program to reverse-engineer alien technology. Dave Smith, Fortune, 8 Mar. 2024 Nevertheless, the Pentagon investigated the claims and, so far, found nothing to back them up. Julian E. Barnes, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Hamas denies the claims and has accused Israel of using the issue as a way to justify its military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Becky Sullivan, NPR, 8 Mar. 2024 Related Articles Letters: Nation’s divisions | Tiresome claim | Campaign justified | The real race | Global funding | Ensure access Letters: Housing the issue | Richmond parking | Landline benefits | Amendment language | Biden’s fitness Second, term limits should be set for justices. Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024 Combs’ lawyer, Shawn Holley, shared a statement with Variety refuting Jones’ claims. Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 27 Feb. 2024 The oppression claim, if upheld by a court, could have resulted in an order to sell the company or dissolve it. Karl Ebert, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'claim.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French claimer, clamer, from Latin clamare to cry out, shout; akin to Latin calare to call — more at low entry 3

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of claim was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near claim

Cite this Entry

“Claim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/claim. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

claim

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to ask for as rightfully belonging to oneself
claim an inheritance
b
: to call for : require
business that claims attention
2
: to put an end to life : take
an accident claimed his life
3
a
: to state as a fact : maintain
claimed to have been cheated
b
: to make a claim
claimed to know nothing about it
claimable adjective
claimer noun

claim

2 of 2 noun
1
: a demand for something due or believed to be due
an insurance claim
2
a
: a right or title to something
b
: a statement that may be doubted
a claim of authenticity
3
: something claimed
especially : an area of land marked out by a settler or prospector
Etymology

Verb

Middle English claimen "to ask for as a right, claim," from early French clamer (same meaning), from Latin clamare "to shout" — related to acclaim, clamor

Legal Definition

claim

noun
1
a
: a demand for something (as money) due or believed to be due
specifically : a demand for a benefit (as under the workers' compensation law) or contractual payment (as under an insurance policy)
b
: a paper embodying such a demand
filing a claim with the court
2
: a title to something (as a debt or privilege) in the possession of another
assigned her claim to the proceeds
3
a
: a right to seek a judicial remedy arising from a wrong or injury suffered
a plaintiff who has been injured in an accident has…one claim for a broken arm, another for a ruptured spleen, and so forthJ. H. Friedenthal et al.
also : the formal assertion of such a right
bringing a claim in the district court
b
: cause of action sense 1
a plaintiff stating a claim for negligence
see also res judicata

Note: A cause of action may encompass more than one claim as the term is used in sense 3a. Claim is often used to mean cause of action, however, especially in modern federal practice.

c
: a right to payment or to an equitable remedy as set forth in the Bankruptcy Code see also proof of claim
4
: a formal assertion made by an applicant for a patent of the novelty and patentability of an invention with a description of the invention and its purpose
claim transitive verb
Etymology

Noun

Old French, from clamer to call, claim, from Latin clamare to shout, proclaim

More from Merriam-Webster on claim

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