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
pawed; pawing; paws
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
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Blake Turck, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
For tourists looking for an easily accessible exotic within an American city, there is the Chinatown of myth and surfaces, of paper lanterns and dragons, stone lions and ceramic lucky cats waving their paws, dumplings and noodles.
—Ligaya Mishan David Chow, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023
The dark color is forgiving with spills and mucky little hands or paws—not a minor detail for busy households and growing families.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2023
While coyote paw prints typically range from 2 1/8 to 3 1/16 inches long and 1 5/8 to 2 1/2 inches wide, wolf paw prints typically range from 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches long and 3 3/4 to 5 inches wide.
—Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 14 Sep. 2023
Use them for blotting splatters off the bathroom mirror, cleaning around stovetop burners, wiping muddy paws, and more.
—Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 15 Aug. 2023
Can a police dog's paws violate the Constitution during a traffic stop?
—USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
Be sure to keep them in a cool, dry place that is out of reach from curious hands or paws.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 30 Aug. 2023
The first frame Chadwick shared shows the bear clinging to the neck of the cow moose with its paws, while blood dribbles from a wound on the moose’s shoulder.
—Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 23 Aug. 2023
Pino Gagliardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Sep. 2023
Chance and White completed therapy pet training through Love on a Leash, and soon, the pooch was pawing through the halls of Shriners Children's Lexington as a certified therapy dog, visiting kids with limb differences like him.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2023
Annapurna announced the move in the cutest way possible, with the game’s lead gato pawing an Xbox controller off a table, as its concerned owner stares helpless in the face of the cat’s reckless disregard.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 29 June 2023
The dogs are crossbred from sociable huskies and hardier Greenland dogs and are baying and pawing for attention.
—Taymour Soomro Scott Conarroe, New York Times, 10 May 2023
Trenches, a few foundations and an excavator pawing at a mountain of dirt are the only indication that, if all goes to plan, this will be the site of 90 new townhomes next year.
—Ben Christopher, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 May 2023
Nate is ushered into Rupert’s (Anthony Head) private world and introduced to a model as a post-victory perk (eww), while the owner paws at his assistant (double eww).
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2023
Same goes for soybeans, and if the snow isn’t too deep, deer will paw it away to get to waste grain in both corn and bean fields.
—Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 31 Jan. 2023
Cat lovers know felines like to play and paw at each other occasionally, but sometimes the behavior can escalate.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 6 July 2013
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Noun
Two big paws would charge at me and wrap around my neck — usually a toy would be hanging from a wet mouth.
—Blake Turck, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023
For tourists looking for an easily accessible exotic within an American city, there is the Chinatown of myth and surfaces, of paper lanterns and dragons, stone lions and ceramic lucky cats waving their paws, dumplings and noodles.
—Ligaya Mishan David Chow, New York Times, 19 Sep. 2023
The dark color is forgiving with spills and mucky little hands or paws—not a minor detail for busy households and growing families.
—Sophie Flaxman, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 Sep. 2023
While coyote paw prints typically range from 2 1/8 to 3 1/16 inches long and 1 5/8 to 2 1/2 inches wide, wolf paw prints typically range from 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches long and 3 3/4 to 5 inches wide.
—Paul Richards, Field & Stream, 14 Sep. 2023
Use them for blotting splatters off the bathroom mirror, cleaning around stovetop burners, wiping muddy paws, and more.
—Carolyn Forté, Good Housekeeping, 15 Aug. 2023
Can a police dog's paws violate the Constitution during a traffic stop?
—USA TODAY, 5 Sep. 2023
Be sure to keep them in a cool, dry place that is out of reach from curious hands or paws.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 30 Aug. 2023
The first frame Chadwick shared shows the bear clinging to the neck of the cow moose with its paws, while blood dribbles from a wound on the moose’s shoulder.
—Sage Marshall, Field & Stream, 23 Aug. 2023
Verb
Gathered in a corner of the square, a small group of teenagers paw the ground.
—Pino Gagliardi, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Sep. 2023
Chance and White completed therapy pet training through Love on a Leash, and soon, the pooch was pawing through the halls of Shriners Children's Lexington as a certified therapy dog, visiting kids with limb differences like him.
—Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2023
Annapurna announced the move in the cutest way possible, with the game’s lead gato pawing an Xbox controller off a table, as its concerned owner stares helpless in the face of the cat’s reckless disregard.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 29 June 2023
The dogs are crossbred from sociable huskies and hardier Greenland dogs and are baying and pawing for attention.
—Taymour Soomro Scott Conarroe, New York Times, 10 May 2023
Trenches, a few foundations and an excavator pawing at a mountain of dirt are the only indication that, if all goes to plan, this will be the site of 90 new townhomes next year.
—Ben Christopher, San Francisco Chronicle, 9 May 2023
Nate is ushered into Rupert’s (Anthony Head) private world and introduced to a model as a post-victory perk (eww), while the owner paws at his assistant (double eww).
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2023
Same goes for soybeans, and if the snow isn’t too deep, deer will paw it away to get to waste grain in both corn and bean fields.
—Scott Bestul, Field & Stream, 31 Jan. 2023
Cat lovers know felines like to play and paw at each other occasionally, but sometimes the behavior can escalate.
—Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 6 July 2013
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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
Phrases Containing paw
Dictionary Entries Near paw
Cite this Entry
“Paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paw. Accessed 1 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
paw
1 of 2 noun1
: 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 verb1
: 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
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for paw
Nglish: Translation of paw for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of paw for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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