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 This summer has been all about Spider-Man, but Wolverine is ready to claw his way back into people’s hearts — literally. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026 He and his wife, Carol, are bombarded with calls and letters from creditors that remind them daily of their inability to claw their way up to zero. — Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 July 2026 As the critical 72-hour rescue window closes in Venezuela, families claw through rubble in La Guaira and beyond after a pair of earthquakes left hundreds dead and tens of thousands missing. — Regina Garcia Cano, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2026 The entire cast is part of an underground ballroom competition, going claw to claw in matchups that rank the best poses, death drops, outfits, name brands, and choreography. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 23 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for claw

Recent Examples of Synonyms for claw

Verb

Both artists, Morris points out, were working in the context of World War II, and the owl’s ability to both burrow and take flight may have appealed to feelings of entrapment and a desire to escape.

— Kelly Presutti, ARTnews.com, 28 Aug. 2026
Edelman said the bat appeared to be trying to burrow between her lips and into her mouth.

— Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of burrow

Verb

Meanwhile, two sauna masters shovelled ice infused with fragrant oil onto the rocks and performed an Aufguss, a German ritual in which towels are twirled to spread scented air.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
Right now, that means shoveling rocks, insulating and backfilling the basement of the American Hotel, the original hotel in the town which burned down in 2020.

— Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of shovel

Verb

North Carolina Democrats in the state’s House of Representatives cut all ties with one of their candidates running for the state legislature after her past social media posts about violence against Republicans came to light.

— David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 11 Sep. 2026
Krohn put in new sprinklers and fire-safety systems after his last renters moved out a few years ago, then cut a hole between the second and third floors, allowing more light and air to filter through what is now a unified owner’s duplex.

— Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 11 Sep. 2026

Definition of cut

Verb

The island, just over 2 miles long, was created in the late 1960s from sand dredged during the deepening of the Elbe shipping channel that serves the port of Hamburg, then left to itself and gradually planted over.

— Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 28 Aug. 2026
With actual construction slated to start in 2028, the project will dredge just under 5 acres of the north Alameda shoreline to add 334 feet to the width of the inner harbor turning basin in the estuary.

— Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 28 Aug. 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

Researchers combed through 60,000 bone fragments excavated from the cave, identifying two dozen or so that appeared to closely resemble hominin bones and testing them to see whether the fossils contained any useful biomolecular information.

— Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026
Paleontologists are now planning to excavate three of the four footprints later this year, then transfer them by helicopter to the Denver Museum of Nature & Science.

— Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of excavate

Browse Nearby Words

clattery

claw

clawed

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Style

“Claw.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claw. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of claw

verb

Example Sentences

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