claw

American  

[klaw] / klɔ /

noun

• claws
  plural

1. a sharp, usually curved, nail on the foot of an animal, as on a cat, dog, or bird.

2. a similar curved process at the end of the leg of an insect.

3. the pincerlike extremity of specific limbs of certain arthropods.

   lobster claws.

4. any part or thing resembling a claw, as the cleft end of the head of a hammer.

5. Typography. the hooklike projection from the right side of an r or from the bowl of a g.

6. (in a motion-picture mechanism) a device having one or two teeth that hook into the perforations of a length of film and move it one frame at a time at any given speed.

7. Jewelry. one of a group of slender, tapering metal projections rising from the base of a jewelry setting, used to hold a transparent or faceted gemstone in position.

---

verb (used with object)

• claws,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clawed,
  past participle,  past
• clawing
  present participle

1. to tear, scratch, seize, pull, etc., with or as if with claws.

   The kitten clawed my sweater to shreds.

2. to make by or as if by scratching, digging, etc., with hands or claws.

   to claw a hole in the earth.

3. to proceed by or as if by using the hands.

   He clawed his way through the crowd.

verb (used without object)

• claws,
  present (3rd person singular)
• clawed,
  past participle,  past
• clawing
  present participle

1. to scratch, tear, or dig with or as if with claws.

   The cat clawed and hissed in fear.

2. to make fumbling motions.

   He clawed at the door. She clawed for the light switch.

3. Scot. to scratch gently, as to relieve itching.

verb phrase

1. claw back. see clawback.

claw British  

/ klɔː /

noun

1. a curved pointed horny process on the end of each digit in birds, some reptiles, and certain mammals

2. a corresponding structure in some invertebrates, such as the pincer of a crab

3. a part or member like a claw in function or appearance

4. botany the narrow basal part of certain petals and sepals

---

verb

1. to scrape, tear, or dig (something or someone) with claws, etc

2. (tr) to create by scratching as with claws

   to claw an opening

claw Scientific  

/ klô /

1. A sharp, curved nail at the end of a toe of a mammal, reptile, or bird.

2. A pincer, as of a lobster or crab, used for grasping.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• clawer
  noun
• declaw
  verb (used with object)
• clawless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• claws
  plural

Participles

• clawing
  present
• clawed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• claw
  simple
• claws
  simple
• have clawed
  perfect
• has clawed
  perfect
• am clawing
  progressive
• are clawing
  progressive
• is clawing
  progressive
• have been clawing
  perfect progressive
• has been clawing
  perfect progressive

Past

• clawed
  simple
• had clawed
  perfect
• was clawing
  progressive
• were clawing
  progressive
• had been clawing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will claw
  simple
• will have clawed
  perfect
• will be clawing
  progressive
• will have been clawing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of claw

First recorded before 900; (noun) Middle English; Old English clawu; cognate with Old High German chlō(a), akin to Dutch klauw, German Klaue; (verb) Middle English clawen, Old English claw(i)an, derivative of clawu (noun); akin to Dutch klauwen, German klauen

Explanation

The word claw is all about grabbing. It could be a lobster claw or even an ambitious worker clawing his way up the corporate ladder. As a noun, a claw is the pointy finger-like grabbers that birds, insects, and some lizards and mammals have. Machines can have claws too, and maybe you’ve seen the game at an arcade where you make a metal claw pick up a toy. Claw can be a verb as well, meaning to grab, scratch, or pull in a painful and jolting way. Should someone bury you up to your neck in a hole, you’ll have to claw your way out. And you can accidentally claw your date if you grab her arm during a scary movie.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

claw claws clawed clawing

As the union seeks to claw back jobs, Brown was the unanimous choice of its executive committee to lead.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

A resilient Gauff begins to claw her way back, but Muchova halts the American's momentum with a sensational diving volley.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

Sasaki’s troubles this season have been hard to pin down since his last win on May 23, as Sasaki tries to claw back the triple-digit velocity that’s escaped him as of late.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026

The new model was flashy, black-light entertainment with thumping music, huge video screens, arcade games and claw machines, along with upscale food and drink at double or triple the prices of standard bowling-alley fare.

From Salon ● Jul. 3, 2026

I claw desperately at my headset but it’s already being ripped from my grasp, halfway onto the bobbed hair of the new operator.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Aesthetes had been howling about the Freedom 250 set, a soaring, 92-foot tall structure which resembled one of those arcade machine claws in which you try and fail to grab a stuffed hippopotamus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

The 56-year-old and her white-and-silver partner, fitted with cameras and two mechanical claws, are part of a new human-robot cleaning service offered by Chinese household help platform 58.com.

From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026

As polished as it was quirky, the performance was packed with personality and one of the sharpest hooks to ever sink its claws into the contest.

From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026

As giant plant eating dinosaurs such as sauropods became more common, predators may have relied less on grasping prey with claws and more on delivering devastating bites.

From Science Daily ● May 20, 2026

The dragon’s fangs even glistened in what sunlight remained, while its claws, some kind of lava stone like the rest of the castle, looked lifelike enough to skewer a giant through the heart.

From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley

Shares have clawed back earlier losses and are now down 8.4% at 130.40 pounds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

The Dodgers clawed back two runs in the seventh.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026

SK Hynix and Samsung clawed back some of their recent losses in Asian trading.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

Barclays then clawed back 17.8 million British pounds in awards, or about US$24 million, and the U.K. watchdog Financial Conduct Authority fined and banned him from working in financial services.

From Salon ● Jun. 20, 2026

He holds the flask out to me with one gray-green clawed hand.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Top decision makers instead closed the probe, the people said, opting for a lighter-touch option: clawing back money the company earned from selling formula through federally funded nutrition programs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026

The Georgia winger is as effective as he is mesmerising, taunting opposition with a languid but unstoppable dribbling style, socks at half mast on his calves, defenders clawing at the scorched turf left behind him.

From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026

Like a zombie clawing its stiff, cold hand through the dirt of its grave, VHS refuses to die.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 23, 2026

Circle stock rose 3.4% to $104.61 in early trading Wednesday, clawing back some of the heavy losses it took the prior day.

From Barron's ● Mar. 26, 2026

Then the boat began clawing offshore, directly into the onrushing waves.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

Related Words

• fingernail
• paw
• tentacle