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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
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 See More

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 1 Oct. 2023.

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

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