What does "claim" mean?
A demand of ownership made for something.
Claim
/kleɪm/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A demand of ownership made for something.
- Grammar: claim is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: absolute interest, accusation, accuse, acquire.
- Useful contrasts: unclaimed, counteractions, denial.
- Usage evidence: They set up their backs against the claim.
How to use "claim"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "claim" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "claim" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "claim" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "claim" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "claim" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "absolute interest" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "claim", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A demand of ownership made for something.
"a claim of ownership"
- 2 demand for something as rightful or due wordnet
- 3 The thing claimed.
- 4 an informal right to something wordnet
- 5 The right or ground of demanding.
"You don't have any claim on my time, since I'm no longer your employee."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 an established or recognized right wordnet
- 7 A new statement of something one believes to be the truth, usually when the statement has yet to be verified or without valid evidence provided.
"The company's share price dropped amid claims of accounting fraud."
- 8 an assertion of a right (as to money or property) wordnet
- 9 A demand of ownership for previously unowned land.
"Miners had to stake their claims during the gold rush."
- 10 an assertion that something is true or factual wordnet
- 11 A legal demand for compensation or damages.
- 12 a demand wordnet
Verb
- 1 To demand ownership of.
"Jeffrey Chuang, an economics student at University College London, said: "I am for independence. I do not think China has any right to claim Taiwan. We have confidence in our country and we know that China is not capable of doing anything to us.""
- 2 take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of affairs wordnet
- 3 To state a new fact, typically without providing evidence to prove it is true.
- 4 assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing wordnet
- 5 To demand ownership or right to use for land.
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 lay claim to; as of an idea wordnet
- 7 To demand compensation or damages through the courts.
- 8 ask for legally or make a legal claim to, as of debts, for example wordnet
- 9 To be entitled to anything; to deduce a right or title; to have a claim. intransitive
"We must know how the first ruler, from whom any one claims, came by his authority, upon what ground any one has empire"
- 10 demand as being one's due or property; assert one's right or title to wordnet
- 11 To cause the loss of.
"The attacks claimed the lives of five people."
- 12 To win as a prize in a sport or competition.
"He claimed $100 after winning the top spot."
- 13 To proclaim. obsolete
- 14 To call or name. archaic
"Nor all, that else through all the world is named[…] / Might like to this be clamed."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"They set up their backs against the claim."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "claim"?
Common synonyms include: absolute interest, accusation, accuse, acquire, actions, adduce.
How do you use "claim" in a sentence?
They set up their backs against the claim.
How do you pronounce "claim"?
Pronounced /kleɪm/.
Etymology
From Middle English claimen, borrowed from Old French clamer (“to call, name, send for”), from Latin clāmō, clāmāre (“to call, cry out”), from Proto-Italic *klāmāō, from Proto-Indo-European *kelh₁- (“to shout”), which is imitative. See also Lithuanian kalba (“language”), Old English hlōwan (“to low, make a noise like a cow”), Old High German halan (“to call”), Ancient Greek καλέω (kaléō, “to call, convoke”), κλέδον (klédon, “report, fame”), κέλαδος (kélados, “noise”), Middle Irish cailech (“cock”), Latin calō (“to call out, announce solemnly”), Sanskrit उषःकल (uṣaḥkala, “cock”, literally “dawn-calling”). Cognate with Spanish llamar and clamar.