CLAW Synonyms: 32 Similar and Opposite Words

claw

verb

Definition of claw

as in to burrow

Related Words

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Dissimilar Words

as in to lacerate

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

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 claw In a remarkable Game 4, the Knicks pulled off the biggest-ever comeback of the NBA Finals, clawing their way to a win after being down 29 points. — Matt Nighswander, NBC news, 18 June 2026 But for Season 2, MrBeast and his crew realized viewers wanted to know a little more about the contestants that managed to claw their way to the top. — The Deadline Team, Deadline, 11 June 2026 Jake Shane— born and raised in Manhattan— was sitting in a box with Tate McRae and Hailey Bieber when the Knicks clawed their way back from 29 points down. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 11 June 2026 Life without either, the pair determine, has left Leonora morose, maladjusted and desperate to claw her way back to the road not taken. — Literary Hub, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for claw

Recent Examples of Synonyms for claw

Verb

Yebba, Jean The sophomore album from vocal powerhouse Yebba is a master class not only in using tone, timbre, and cadence to burrow into the depths of the human condition but also in structuring a gobstopping comeback effort.

— Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 8 July 2026
Their larvae, which burrow into the flesh of cattle and can be fatal if untreated, can devastate wildlife and bring financial ruin to ranchers.

— Robert Abitbol, USA Today, 4 July 2026

Definition of burrow

Verb

Those mounds of soil — not apparent in the photograph — were consistent with digging a hole as dirt is shoveled out and dumped along the edge.

— Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 July 2026
With the work now being migration, most programs are still shoveling, counting tasks and missing the structure.

— Maman Ibrahim, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of shovel

Verb

The first due to a slip from Porro, which allowed Andy Robertson to cut the ball back for McTominay.

— Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 18 July 2026
The Odyssey’s crew is full of longtime Nolan collaborators, from cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, who has worked with Nolan since Interstellar, to editor Jennifer Lame, who previously cut Tenet and Oppenheimer.

— Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 18 July 2026

Definition of cut

Verb

The fries here are great, but even better are the gluten-free onion rings, dredged in the same distinctive cornmeal coating used for the seafood.

— Luke Pyenson, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 July 2026
Officials in Tioga County, Pennsylvania, had been lobbying the state to dredge flood-prone streams when flash flooding in early July 2026 hit the same communities flooded by Hurricane Debby’s remnants two years earlier.

— Lee Ann Rawlins Williams, The Conversation, 13 July 2026

Definition of dredge

Verb

Double-bass glissandos hint at hands grubbing in the earth, while abrupt moments of concerted action—notably, an accordion wheezing out an F-sharp-minor chord—suggest flickering signals and transmissions.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
Despite his esoteric interests, Machen grubbed up a career as a popular and prolific author.

— Hari Kunzru, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026

Definition of grub

Verb

The women were originally excavated during the late 19th century from within the funerary complex at Dahshur, an ancient Egyptian necropolis featuring some of the oldest, largest, and best preserved pyramids in Giza.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 17 July 2026
The family eventually rebuilt itself, but filming the show excavated old wounds.

— Eliana Dockterman, Time, 14 July 2026

Definition of excavate

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claw

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Style

“Claw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claw. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of claw

verb

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