claw
Americannoun
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a sharp, usually curved, nail on the foot of an animal, as on a cat, dog, or bird.
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a similar curved process at the end of the leg of an insect.
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the pincerlike extremity of specific limbs of certain arthropods.
lobster claws.
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any part or thing resembling a claw, as the cleft end of the head of a hammer.
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Typography. the hooklike projection from the right side of an r or from the bowl of a g.
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(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.
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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)
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to tear, scratch, seize, pull, etc., with or as if with claws.
The kitten clawed my sweater to shreds.
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to make by or as if by scratching, digging, etc., with hands or claws.
to claw a hole in the earth.
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to proceed by or as if by using the hands.
He clawed his way through the crowd.
verb (used without object)
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to scratch, tear, or dig with or as if with claws.
The cat clawed and hissed in fear.
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to make fumbling motions.
He clawed at the door. She clawed for the light switch.
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Scot. to scratch gently, as to relieve itching.
verb phrase
noun
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a curved pointed horny process on the end of each digit in birds, some reptiles, and certain mammals
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a corresponding structure in some invertebrates, such as the pincer of a crab
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a part or member like a claw in function or appearance
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botany the narrow basal part of certain petals and sepals
verb
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to scrape, tear, or dig (something or someone) with claws, etc
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(tr) to create by scratching as with claws
to claw an opening
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A sharp, curved nail at the end of a toe of a mammal, reptile, or bird.
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A pincer, as of a lobster or crab, used for grasping.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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clawsimple
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clawssimple
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have clawedperfect
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has clawedperfect
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am clawingprogressive
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are clawingprogressive
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is clawingprogressive
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have been clawingperfect progressive
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has been clawingperfect progressive
Past
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clawedsimple
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had clawedperfect
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was clawingprogressive
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were clawingprogressive
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had been clawingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing claw
Beowulf vocabulary
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"Jabberwocky" by Lewis Carroll
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Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"
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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:
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
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
When the time came, Rufus took over as chief claw patrol when he was 18 weeks old.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
Political strategist Michael Trujillo, who did not work for any of the mayoral hopefuls, voiced strong doubts on Sunday that Pratt can claw his way back into second place.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
When he reached the end of the book, he went through it again, tracing a claw across every crude drawing, over every meticulous map, past every misspelled word.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Crew members operating trucks with claws pick up the materials in batches and deposit them on conveyor belts to start the sorting process.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
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
Webbed claws clutch at a rock, and slowly, awkwardly, the creature lifts her rounded, barrel-like body out of the river.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Their analysis showed that the claws of this fossil bug were strikingly different from those found in other insects.
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
It snatched Clare off his hind legs and swept him into the open air, his claws stretching toward Gingersnipes, who remained wedged in the tree, wide-eyed and frozen.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
A clawed caper at the Santa Monica Pier went awry despite “sophisticated” attempts by suspects to get away with poaching roughly three dozen spiny lobsters, authorities said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026
Williams clawed back a few times when she looked good and cooked, and when she did that, she let out a signature Serena “Come on!”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 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
The bear had clawed the bark at least two days before.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
It is too easy to think of people like Deborah as clawing back their careers for fame, validation or money rather than a deep and essential love of their art.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 29, 2026
Google Gemini spent the past year clawing its way to a seat at the table alongside OpenAI and Anthropic, but its cutting-edge reputation is facing challenges today.
From MarketWatch ● May 20, 2026
The rupee was last trading at 95.6075 to the dollar, clawing back some ground after hitting another record low on Tuesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 13, 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
The two words latched on to her like talons, clawing at her and digging in no matter how hard she tried to shake them off.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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.
