Definition of claimnext
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claim

2 of 2

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
The winners each claimed their prizes from scratch-off tickets, the Maryland Lottery said in a statement. — CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026 Trump lashed out at Pirro over the admission and has continued to claim vandals were to blame. — Kevin Breuninger, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2026
Noun
The Times suggests that JLR has brought the case in the Netherlands because the country is viewed as being more favorable to claims of intellectual copyright theft. — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 Nov. 2026 Attorneys representing the state filed roughly 200 motions to dismiss cases involving claims before July 1, 1982. — Bryan P. Sears, Baltimore Sun, 10 Nov. 2026 See All Example Sentences for claim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for claim
Verb
  • Brown, of Relativity, insists that adopting AI is a necessary move to maintain healthy peer-to-peer and global competition.
    — S. Sorrina Beecher, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Hezbollah insists on a full Israeli withdrawal, while Israel conditions its withdrawal on Hezbollah’s disarmament and other security guarantees.
    — Tamirace Fakhoury, The Conversation, 13 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • Ammann developed the machine in response to demand for quieter equipment that can work without direct exhaust emissions while maintaining the precision and steady movement needed for a consistent surface.
    — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 11 Nov. 2026
  • Instead, the Justice Department released only a first batch of documents on December 19, 2025, sparking bipartisan criticism by failing to disclose all files as the law demanded.
    — Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • An electrical fire destroyed their home on Osceola Avenue during Fourth of July weekend in 2005.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2026
  • Earthquakes in July 2019 destroyed three energetics compounds in the Salt Wells area of China Lake.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 12 Nov. 2026
Verb
  • As companies including OpenAI, Google and other AI developers raced to build increasingly powerful models, Nvidia became a critical supplier of the chips and computing systems needed to train and operate them.
    — Steve Mollman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2026
  • Working toilets and comfortable air cabin temperatures must also be maintained and medical care must be provided if needed.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 14 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • International rights groups say political prisoners in Iran are tried in secretive courts without due process.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 9 Nov. 2026
  • With House Republicans looking for a scapegoat after their midterm losses, the impeachment vote could pick up votes on the right, too.
    — Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 9 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • In 2023, private equity firm Advent International acquired a majority stake in Zimmermann from Style Capital, which together with the Zimmermann family retained a significant minority shareholding.
    — Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 12 Nov. 2026
  • In 2022, Hoffmann bought a controlling stake in Shepler's before buying the Mackinac Island Ferry Company in 2024, gaining full control of the ferry market on the island, Nessel said.
    — Karma Sabbah, CBS News, 12 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Johnson’s sunny assertions that Republicans would defy history in the midterms, as voters traditionally have punished the president’s party in power, failed to hold.
    — Lisa Mascaro, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • As a most un-saintlike Mother Teresa, Dueñas gives voice to a seething, inconsolable fury, an assertion of pure, ferocious will, that exposes the preciousness of Ambrossi and Calvo’s poetic and structural conceits.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Eco effort There is little to no single-use plastic at the resort, with the shampoo and conditioner bottled in ceramic jugs of blue and white, and washing is done only upon request by placing a pinecone on your bed.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Nov. 2026
  • The email said Democratic House members and staffers would receive the firm’s request for responses to a confidential survey and some would later be asked to schedule in-person or virtual interviews with someone from the firm.
    — Jeremy Gorner, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Claim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claim. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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