paw

1 of 2

noun

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
This is a phone for big hands and even my large paws struggle when typing messages on the unfolded screen. Janhoi McGregor, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024 At less than a month old, unsteady on his small paws, the jaguar cub was already working. Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
The tracks were already well-rounded at the point of the hoof, showing that the bull had been pawing the ground. Anton Money, Outdoor Life, 15 Aug. 2024 Several videos have shown pets accidentally igniting fires from jumping onto stoves and pawing at the knobs. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 8 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for paw 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paw.' 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

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

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

Dictionary Entries Near paw

Cite this Entry

“Paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paw. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

paw

1 of 2 noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on paw

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!