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claim

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noun

1
as in right
an entitlement to something I'm announcing my claim to that last slice of pizza

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in stake
a legal right to participation in the advantages, profits, and responsibility of something a shareholder has a claim in the business

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4
as in request
something that someone insists upon having young children make great claims on their parents' time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb claim contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of claim are demand, exact, and require. While all these words mean "to ask or call for something as due or as necessary," claim implies a demand for the delivery or concession of something due as one's own or one's right.

claimed the right to manage his own affairs

In what contexts can demand take the place of claim?

The synonyms demand and claim are sometimes interchangeable, but demand implies peremptoriness and insistence and often the right to make requests that are to be regarded as commands.

demanded payment of the debt

When would exact be a good substitute for claim?

The words exact and claim are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exact implies not only demanding but getting what one demands.

exacts absolute loyalty

Where would require be a reasonable alternative to claim?

In some situations, the words require and claim are roughly equivalent. However, require suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, or the exigencies of the situation.

the patient requires constant attention

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of claim
Verb
In a lawsuit filed after the incident, the girls claimed they were excluded from official photos and that their medals were withheld. Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2025 The lawsuitwas filed against the National Bank of Ukraine, the country’s central bank, claiming bank officials looked the other way while Kurchenko illegally took control of Brok Bank. Olena Loginova, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
Cruz argued Carlson didn’t challenge Fuentes enough on his antisemitic claims. David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 8 Nov. 2025 As for Fair Havens specifically, multiple workers said they weren’t initially told which residents had COVID-19, or given the proper PPE (a claim Fair Havens disputes). Kevin G. Hall, Miami Herald, 7 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for claim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for claim
Verb
  • Trump has long insisted that the election was rigged, despite there being no evidence of that.
    Michael Nied, PEOPLE, 10 Nov. 2025
  • To get there, Puerto Ricans must demand transparency about military activities, insist on environmental justice, and hold accountable both local officials who enable this militarism and federal agencies that perpetuate it.
    Israel Melendez Ayala, Time, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Once inside, the hackers encrypted KNP’s data and locked its internal systems before demanding a ransom.
    Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Yes, potential excuses exist, such as the Tigers’ switch to Daniels, a senior Stanford transfer whose tremendous performance (353 yards passing and two touchdowns, 89 yards rushing and two touchdowns) demands the question of why Freeze didn’t turn the offense over to him weeks ago.
    Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • So, automation can be used to destroy labor or workers’ power, but it can also be used in the opposite direction.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
  • Homes, businesses and synagogues were destroyed.
    Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Even as federal funding resumes, local colleges, businesses and nonprofits are joining county agencies in maintaining relief efforts for as long as Sacramento-area residents need them.
    Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Gober said to establish gross negligence, the families will need to demonstrate that there was a conscious indifference to an extreme degree of risk of harm.
    Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The men also spoke about going on strike to demand basic rights, including communication with the outside world.
    Rocio Muñoz-Ledo, CNN Money, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Inside the store, shelves to the right of the entrance are stacked with nonperishable foods, hygiene products, pet food and donated blankets and sweaters, Smith said.
    Cathie Anderson, Sacbee.com, 12 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The company count included insiders like Musk, who held around a 15% stake in Tesla going into the proxy and was allowed to vote his shares.
    Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Or, more high-stakes still, what to do if his family comes looking for him.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • In August, The Guardian said the Israeli Defense Forces' Unit 8200 had built a system in Microsoft's Azure cloud for tracking Palestinians' phone calls as part of the country's invasion of Gaza, leading Microsoft to investigate the newspaper's assertions.
    Jordan Novet, CNBC, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The pitch helped the Democratic nominee withstand Earle-Sears’ attacks on cultural issues, notably the Republican’s assertion that Spanberger is an extremist on transgender rights.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 5 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Stueber’s widow, Catherine, and lawyers on both sides did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Nov. 2025
  • The first lady did not immediately return a request for comment.
    Graph Massara, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Claim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claim. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.

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