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View synonyms for claim

claim

[ kleym ]

verb (used with object)

  1. to demand by or as by virtue of a right; demand as a right or as due:

    to claim an estate by inheritance.

  2. to assert and demand the recognition of (a right, title, possession, etc.); assert one's right to:

    to claim payment for services.

  3. to assert or maintain as a fact:

    She claimed that he was telling the truth.

  4. to require as due or fitting:

    to claim respect.



verb (used without object)

  1. to make or file a claim:

    to claim for additional compensation.

noun

  1. 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

  2. an assertion of something as a fact:

    He made no claims to originality.

  3. a right to claim or demand; a just title to something:

    His claim to the heavyweight title is disputed.

  4. something that is claimed, especially a piece of public land for which formal request is made for mining or other purposes.
  5. 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.

claim

/ kleɪm /

verb

  1. to demand as being due or as one's property; assert one's title or right to

    he claimed the record

  2. takes a clause as object or an infinitive to assert as a fact; maintain against denial

    he claimed to be telling the truth

  3. to call for or need; deserve

    this problem claims our attention

  4. to take

    the accident claimed four lives

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an assertion of a right; a demand for something as due
  2. an assertion of something as true, real, or factual

    he made claims for his innocence

  3. a right or just title to something; basis for demand

    a claim to fame

  4. lay claim to or stake a claim to
    to assert one's possession of or right to
  5. anything that is claimed, esp in a formal or legal manner, such as a piece of land staked out by a miner
  6. 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
    1. a demand for payment in connection with an insurance policy, etc
    2. the sum of money demanded
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈclaimer, noun
  • ˈclaimable, adjective
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Other Words From

  • claima·ble adjective
  • claimless adjective
  • mis·claim verb (used with object)
  • non·claima·ble adjective
  • over·claim verb (used with object)
  • pre·claim verb (used with object) noun
  • super·claim noun
  • un·claimed adjective
  • un·claiming adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of claim1

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
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Word History and Origins

Origin of claim1

C13: from Old French claimer to call, appeal, from Latin clāmāre to shout
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. lay claim to, to declare oneself entitled to:

    I have never laid claim to being an expert in tax laws.

More idioms and phrases containing claim

In addition to the idiom beginning with claim , also see lay claim to ; stake a claim .
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Synonym Study

See demand.
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Example Sentences

After a year of claiming he had nothing to do with Project 2025, President-elect Donald Trump is appointing one of its chief architects to lead the Office of Management and Budget, multiple outlets reported.

From Salon

While Gaetz promised to break “the cycle of weaponizing DOJ,” some seemed sure he would do just that, especially given Trump’s claimed mandate to gut the entire department.

From Salon

The court alleges he is responsible for war crimes, and has focused its claims on the unlawful deportation of children from Ukraine to Russia.

From BBC

This year’s winner of France’s biggest book prize is being sued in Algeria over claims he stole the story from a patient of his psychiatrist wife.

From BBC

He later claimed he had taken the short journey by car because his wife, Pauline, did not like to have her hair blown about on the seafront.

From BBC

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More About Claim

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.

Where does claim come from?

The first records of the term claim come from around 1250. It ultimately comes from the Latin clāmāre, meaning “to cry out.”

A claim can be a formal request for something owed or due, such as a claim to the legal ownership of a property. You might make a claim that an item was damaged on arrival through the seller’s form, which would make you eligible for a replacement or a refund.

Laying claim to something means to describe yourself as entitled to that thing. For example when a scientist develops a new theory and publishes it, they have laid claim to their academic findings.

Did you know … ?

What are some other forms related to claim?

  • claimable (adjective)
  • claimless (adjective)
  • misclaim (verb)
  • nonclaimable (adjective)

What are some synonyms for claim?

What are some words that share a root or word element with claim

What are some words that often get used in discussing claim?

How is claim used in real life?

Claim is usually used in relation to legal or official situations.

Try using claim!

True or False?

To make a claim is to give up all rights to something.

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.

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