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

Severe clawbacks cause hardship Last year, the Biden administration capped the clawback rate at 10% after reports that some seniors and disabled beneficiaries had been forced into financial hardship, including homelessness, due to the prior 100% clawback rate. —Alain Sherter, CBS News, 5 May 2025

The agency has been devastated by brutal cuts to CDC staff and funding, including a clawback of more than $11 billion in public health funds that largely went to state health departments. —Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 16 Apr. 2025

Verb

Bill text passed out of several committees would repeal existing clean energy tax credits, claw back unobligated funding, expand oil and gas leasing, repeal certain Clean Air Act programs. —Forbes.com, 18 May 2025

The federal government has already clawed back $80 million in federal funds from New York City meant for migrant shelters, leading to a lawsuit, and has moved to withhold even more. —Luis Ferré-Sadurní, New York Times, 16 May 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