claim

verb

\ ˈklām

claimed; claiming; claims

Definition of claim

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

3a : 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 … members — Rolling Stone

c : to assert to be rightfully one's own claimed responsibility for the attack

claim

noun

Definition of claim (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a demand for something due or believed to be due an insurance claim

2a : 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.

Other Words from claim Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about claim

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Choose the Right Synonym for claim

Verb

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

Female candidates are also battered by professional consultants who claim to understand voters, and who tell them to be strong but approachable, warm but steely, mom but dad, young and bouncy but wise and grave. — Peggy Noonan, WSJ, "The Odd Way We Announce for President Now," 17 Jan. 2019 In 2016, the DMSC received letters from detainees describing conditions at the El Paso Processing Center, including one from a detainee who claims he was not treated for a worsening spider bite and high fever. — Elaine Murphy, Teen Vogue, "What Really Happens Inside American Immigration Facilities and Detention Centers," 14 Jan. 2019 Once again, Today anchor Savannah Guthrie is having to confront online scammers. Right now, there are false advertisements circulating around social media claiming that the host is leaving her job at Today to spend more time on her skincare line. — Kayla Keegan, Good Housekeeping, "Is Savannah Guthrie Leaving the 'Today' Show? The Anchor Just Shut Down Rumors," 8 Jan. 2019 That may be enough send YouTube conspiracy theorists off to the races, but the absence of more concrete footage is genuinely perplexing given the number of presumably smartphone-wielding bystanders who claim to have seen the drone. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "We Still Know So Alarmingly Little About How a Drone Shut Down an Airport for Two Days," 3 Jan. 2019 Following the detonation of several nuclear devices, members of society’s upper echelon are sent to live in a small bunker with a select few who claim their job is to keep everybody safe. — Anne T. Donahue, Marie Claire, "In 2018, Horror Movies Are the Most Comforting Things I Watch," 19 Nov. 2018 In addition to the complaint that Spotify was engaging in copyright infringement by neglecting to send these paper notifications, Wixen also claimed that Spotify was failing to pay out songwriter royalties about 21 percent of the time. — Dani Deahl, The Verge, "Spotify and Wixen settle the music publishing company’s $1.6 billion lawsuit," 20 Dec. 2018 Even more surprising: the lobby group, USTelecom, also recently claimed that an increase in broadband network investment that happened before the net neutrality repeal was somehow caused by the repeal that hadn't yet taken effect. — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, "AT&T/Verizon lobby misunderstands arrow of time, makes impossible claim," 6 Dec. 2018 Further allegations have been made against McCarrick, also claiming that the highest members of the Church hierarchy, all the way up to Popes Benedict and Francis, knew about the accusations at least since 2013. — Mary Beth Keane, Vogue, "Amid Scandal After Scandal, One Catholic Mother Faces A Painful Choice," 6 Dec. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

This was followed by declarations of war by the Maori, further land confiscations, Maori marginalization, and, finally, a Maori protest movement that spawned a legal process of claims and settlements, which is expected to be completed by 2020. — Klara Glowczewska, Town & Country, "We Should All Just Move to New Zealand," 17 Jan. 2019 However, the research to back up these claims is varied and not conclusive, so scientists aren’t yet sure whether or not this effect is real. — Korin Miller, SELF, "Is It True That Morning Sickness Means Something Good During Pregnancy?," 10 Jan. 2019 Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, 18, claims her family has threatened to kill her for renouncing Islam. — Jewel Wicker, Teen Vogue, "Saudi Teen Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun May Get Asylum From Australia After Fleeing Her Family's Alleged Mistreatment," 8 Jan. 2019 Ralph’s tort claim against the bar is now in mediation, Ruiz said. — Lewis Kamb, The Seattle Times, "Woman alleges sexual harassment, says Washington State Bar Association didn’t hold board exec accountable," 11 Dec. 2018 But the Virginia-class submarine's claim to fame is its ability to hunt and destroy enemy vessels, both on the surface and skulking beneath the waves. — Alex Hollings, Popular Mechanics, "What 'Hunter Killer' Gets Right About Submarine Warfare," 7 Nov. 2018 Northern New Hampshire’s claim to fame is this highly scenic 35-mile stretch of Route 112, which erupts with vibrant, changing leaves over multiple elevations. — Paul Rubio, Condé Nast Traveler, "Beautiful Places to See New England Fall Foliage This Year," 5 Oct. 2018 Now for the big question: The serum sounds super science-y, but are the claims of the injectable-in-a-bottle legit? — Macaela Mackenzie, Allure, "K-Beauty Brand Private Doctor Claims Its New "Minus Serum" Sculpts Skin Like an Injectable," 5 Oct. 2018 Rumors pointed to the claim that Jeffree refused to invest in Laura's makeup brand, but Manny explained on Snapchat that those rumors were totally false. — Kelsey Stiegman, Seventeen, "The Real Reason Why Jeffree Star and Laura Lee Are No Longer Friends," 22 Aug. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'claim.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

23 Jan 2019

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

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More Definitions for claim

claim

verb

English Language Learners Definition of claim

(Entry 1 of 2)

: to say that (something) is true when some people may say it is not true

: to say that you have (something)

: to say that (something) belongs to you or that you deserve (something)

claim

noun

English Language Learners Definition of claim (Entry 2 of 2)

: a statement saying that something happened a certain way or will happen a certain way : a statement saying that something is true when some people may say it is not true

: an official request for something (such as money) that is owed to you or that you believe is owed to you

: a right to have something

See the full definition for claim in the English Language Learners Dictionary

claim

verb

\ ˈklām

claimed; claiming

Kids Definition of claim

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to ask for as something that is a right or is deserved claim an inheritance Be sure to claim credit for your idea.

2 : to take as the rightful owner I claimed my luggage at the airport.

3 : to state as a fact : insist to be true “But our friend the Woggle-Bug claims to be highly educated …”— L. Frank Baum, The Marvelous Land of Oz

4 : to cause the end or death of The disease claimed many lives.

claim

noun

Kids Definition of claim (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : a demand for something owed or believed to be owed an insurance claim

2 : a right to something He has a claim to the family fortune.

3 : something (as an area of land) claimed as someone's own a prospector's claim

4 : a statement that others may dispute Do you believe his outrageous claims?

claim

noun

Legal Definition of claim

1a : 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

3a : 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 forth— J. 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