paw

1 of 2

noun

ˈpȯ 

1

: the foot of a quadruped (such as a lion or dog) that has claws

broadly : the foot of an animal

2

: a human hand especially when large or clumsy

paw

2 of 2

verb

pawed; pawing; paws

transitive verb

1

: to touch or strike at with a paw

2

: to feel or touch clumsily, rudely, or sexually

3

: to scrape or beat with or as if with a hoof

4

: to flail at or grab for wildly

intransitive verb

1

: to beat or scrape something with or as if with a hoof

2

: to touch or strike with a paw

3

: to feel or touch someone or something clumsily, rudely, or sexually

4

: to flail or grab wildly

5

: to search especially carelessly or roughly

pawed through the box of discount items

Examples of paw in a Sentence

Noun

The dog injured his paw.

Verb

The bull was pawing the dirt.

The celebrity couple was pawed by a mob of adoring fans.

She claims that her boss got drunk and tried to paw her at the company Christmas party.

A crowd of customers was pawing over the remaining sales items.

She pawed through her purse to find her cell phone.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Her paws butted up against the pole that slid behind the door to keep it from being opened. —Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Aug. 2025

The San Francisco representative put her paws up with thousands of other fans at one of the pop superstar’s Mayhem Ball shows at the Chase Center in Pelosi’s home city, as captured in videos online. —Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 July 2025

Verb

Maybe your own dogs will even bark at their TV counterparts or try pawing at the screen. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 July 2025

However, the young canine refuses to learn the new command, and instead responds by pawing his owner and playfully nibbling on his hand. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French powe, poe

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing paw

• cat's-paw

Rhymes for paw

• aah
• ah
• ahh
• aw
• awe
• bah
• blah
• bra
• caw
• claw
• craw
• daw

Kids Definition

paw

1 of 2 noun

ˈpȯ 

1

: the foot of a four-footed animal (as a lion or dog) having claws

also : the foot of an animal

2

: a human hand especially when large or clumsy

paw

2 of 2 verb

1

: to touch or strike with a paw

2

: to touch or handle clumsily or rudely

pawed the merchandise

3

: to scrape or beat with or as if with a hoof

4

: to grab at wildly

5

: to search especially carelessly or roughly

pawed through the box of letters