declaw
verb
de·claw
(ˌ)dē-ˈklȯ 
declawed; declawing; declaws
: to remove the claws of (an animal, such as a cat) surgically
Examples of declaw in a Sentence
We had our cats declawed.
Recent Examples on the Web
In What Happened, Hillary Clinton explained how her unlucky campaign lost to Donald Trump, and how a luckier one — with James Comey declawed and writing mystery novels — could beat him.
—
David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Ban on declawing cats With bipartisan support, legislators approved a bill that would largely ban declawing cats.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Imagine losing the tips of all your fingers at the last joint—that’s what declawing does to cats.
—Molly Higgins, Wired News, 2 Sep. 2025
Along with her anxiety, Mia also has her two front paws declawed.
—Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for declaw
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
David Weigel, semafor.com, 22 Sep. 2025
Ban on declawing cats With bipartisan support, legislators approved a bill that would largely ban declawing cats.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 16 Sep. 2025
Imagine losing the tips of all your fingers at the last joint—that’s what declawing does to cats.
—Molly Higgins, Wired News, 2 Sep. 2025
Along with her anxiety, Mia also has her two front paws declawed.
—Tj MacIas, Kansas City Star, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for declaw
Cite this Entry
“Declaw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/declaw. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
declaw
transitive verb
de·claw
(ˌ)dē-ˈklȯ
: to remove the claws of (a cat) usually with the nail matrix and all or part of the last bone of the toe
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share