claim
Americanverb (used with object)
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claims,
present (3rd person singular)
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claimed,
past participle, past
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claiming
present participle
-
to demand by or as by virtue of a right; demand as a right or as due.
to claim an estate by inheritance.
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to assert and demand the recognition of (a right, title, possession, etc.); assert one's right to.
to claim payment for services.
-
to assert or maintain as a fact.
She claimed that he was telling the truth.
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to require as due or fitting.
to claim respect.
verb (used without object)
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claims,
present (3rd person singular)
-
claimed,
past participle, past
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claiming
present participle
noun
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claims
plural
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a demand for something as due; an assertion of a right or an alleged right.
He made unreasonable claims on the doctor's time.
- Synonyms:
- call, requisition, request
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an assertion of something as a fact.
He made no claims to originality.
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a right to claim or demand; a just title to something.
His claim to the heavyweight title is disputed.
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something that is claimed, especially a piece of public land for which formal request is made for mining or other purposes.
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a request or demand for payment in accordance with an insurance policy, a workers' compensation law, etc..
We filed a claim for compensation from the company.
idioms
verb
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to demand as being due or as one's property; assert one's title or right to
he claimed the record
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(takes a clause as object or an infinitive) to assert as a fact; maintain against denial
he claimed to be telling the truth
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to call for or need; deserve
this problem claims our attention
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to take
the accident claimed four lives
noun
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an assertion of a right; a demand for something as due
-
an assertion of something as true, real, or factual
he made claims for his innocence
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a right or just title to something; basis for demand
a claim to fame
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to assert one's possession of or right to
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anything that is claimed, esp in a formal or legal manner, such as a piece of land staked out by a miner
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law a document under seal, issued in the name of the Crown or a court, commanding the person to whom it is addressed to do or refrain from doing some specified act former name writ 1
-
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a demand for payment in connection with an insurance policy, etc
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the sum of money demanded
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Usage
What does claim mean? To claim something is to maintain that the something is a fact, as in The company claims its product cures hiccups. A claim is the assertion of a fact, as in The claim that Shayna has a beautiful voice was proved when she began to sing. To claim is also to demand one’s right to something, such as to claim payment for a service given. As a noun, this claim can be the demand for that something, such as a claim on your time. Example: My ancestors laid claim to this land decades ago and I don't plan on letting it go any time soon.
Synonym Usage
See demand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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claimernoun
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superclaimnoun
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misclaimverb (used with object)
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overclaimverb (used with object)
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preclaimverb (used with object)
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claimableadjective
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claimlessadjective
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nonclaimableadjective
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unclaimedadjective
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unclaimingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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claimsimple
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claimssimple
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have claimedperfect
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has claimedperfect
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am claimingprogressive
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are claimingprogressive
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is claimingprogressive
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have been claimingperfect progressive
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has been claimingperfect progressive
Past
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claimedsimple
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had claimedperfect
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was claimingprogressive
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were claimingprogressive
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had been claimingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of claim
First recorded in 1250–1300; (verb) Middle English claimen, from Anglo-French, Old French claimer, from Latin clāmāre “to cry out”; (noun) Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French cla(i)me; the noun is derivative of the verb
Explanation
When you express your right to something, you're making a claim to it, like telling your sister, "This bowl of cereal is mine." A claim is when you express your right to something that belongs to you, like your medical records or the deed to your home. When you make a claim or claim something, you're demanding it or saying it’s true. People claim dependents and deductions on their taxes. In court, you could claim you deserve money from an employer who cheated you. You could claim you can juggle chainsaws. With any kind of claim, you're going to have to prove it.
Vocabulary lists containing claim
The SAT: Language of the Test, List 1
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Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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Argumentative Writing
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In some cases, authorities have taken DNA samples, then buried the bodies with markers in the ground, should families claim them.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
They enjoy quoting Martin Luther King and claim to champion colorblind public policies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
In court documents, prosecutors said Rush had also lied about his educational and professional background before joining the CIA, including a false claim that he had been a US military pilot.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
She asked the FCC to provide further documentation on its claim.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
She strode off with a cackle, to claim her spot front and center.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
A month after the 7 October attacks, he told a German newspaper that claims he wanted to strengthen Hamas were "an absolute lie".
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
The company, which did not address the specific claims, said it had taken "proactive industrial health measures including the development of a comprehensive support and compensation plan".
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
The letter signed by the three former employees claims they didn’t believe they “engaged with external parties outside the mandates of our jobs.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The claims are forcing the city “to expend money to defend itself in lawsuits in which the City had no liability as a matter of fact or law.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
It behooved them, therefore, to try to determine the legitimacy of the other claims.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
The IRS was questioning a deduction Deters claimed in 2020 related to the sale of his interest in the family business.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Clearwater, Fla.-based supplier claimed that Joby used its proprietary designs and data to develop its own probes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
"Neither the program nor the separate sensitive activity existed, and Rush was not authorized to acquire the assets as he claimed."
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Evidence presented during trial included police body camera footage and activity on Flynn's iPhone and Apple Watch from around the time of the murder when he claimed to have been sleeping.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
He claimed they were better than red roses from the grocery store, because those greenhouse-born flowers couldn’t survive in the winter.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Earlier, Alcaraz won the Japan Open, claiming a trophy in just his third tournament since injuring his wrist in April.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
The sentencing hearing also included Flynn reading a statement expressing love for his family, apologising for unspecified "decisions" that he made, and again claiming that he did not kill his wife.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
Gowan and Hijazi countersued, alleging Katz and Junger defamed them by falsely claiming D2 wouldn’t allow employees to seek support for Jewish clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026
In one case, a deputy lied to get a warrant, falsely claiming he needed to track E.Z.’s cellphone as part of a firearms investigation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
Arnold insisted that he could protect André, claiming him as an agent working for the Americans.
From "George Washington, Spymaster" by Thomas B. Allen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
