claimed; claiming; claims
1
a
: to ask for especially as a right
claimed the inheritance
The driver claimed the right to a hearing.
b
: to call for : require
this matter claims our attention
c
: take sense 16b
the accident claimed her life
2
: to take as the rightful owner
claimed her baggage and left the airport
3
a
: to assert in the face of possible contradiction : maintain
claimed that he'd been cheated
is claimed to cause weight loss
b
: to claim to have
organization … which claims 11,000 … members—
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
c
: to assert to be rightfully one's own
claimed responsibility for the attack
1
: a demand for something due or believed to be due
an insurance claim
2
a
: a right to something
specifically
: a title to a debt, privilege, or other thing in the possession of another
The bank has a claim on their house.
b
: an assertion open to challenge
a claim of authenticity
advertisers' extravagant claims
3
: something that is claimed
especially
: a tract of land staked out
The prospector's claim was set at 90 yards to reduce the potential for conflict.
Synonyms
Examples of claim in a Sentence
Verb
He claims a connection to British royalty.
The organization claims 10,000 members.
The terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.
New Yorkers proudly claim the artist as one of their own.
Both of them claimed credit for the idea.
No one ever claimed authorship for the poem.
You should claim compensation for the hours you worked.
No heirs came forward to claim the inheritance.
Noun
She makes the claim that sea levels will actually go down.
He made false claims about his past job experience.
You'll need to file an insurance claim to pay for the damage.
make a claim on your insurance policy
All claims must be made in writing.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah E. Parkinson, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2024
SpaceX claims all the company’s launches are a military, national-security necessity and thus exempt from California scrutiny.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
The company has not identified any significant legal proceedings or claims that could materially affect its financial condition or results of operations.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for claim 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
The Israeli government claims its current operations in Lebanon achieve exactly these goals.
—Sarah E. Parkinson, Foreign Affairs, 11 Nov. 2024
SpaceX claims all the company’s launches are a military, national-security necessity and thus exempt from California scrutiny.
—Joe Mathews, The Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2024
Noun
The department’s detectives then found nearly identical claims for two different cars to other insurance companies, each filed with similar videos as evidence of damage.
—Grant Stringer, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
The company has not identified any significant legal proceedings or claims that could materially affect its financial condition or results of operations.
—Quartz Bot, Quartz, 8 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for claim
Dictionary Entries Near claim
Cite this Entry
“Claim.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/claim. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
claim
1 of 2 verb1
a
: to ask for as rightfully belonging to oneself
claim an inheritance
b
: to call for : require
business that claims attention
2
: to put an end to life : take
an accident claimed his life
3
a
: to state as a fact : maintain
claimed to have been cheated
b
: to make a claim
claimed to know nothing about it
claimer
noun
claim
2 of 2 noun1
: a demand for something due or believed to be due
an insurance claim
2
a
: a right or title to something
b
: a statement that may be doubted
a claim of authenticity
3
: something claimed
especially
: an area of land marked out by a settler or prospector
Legal Definition
claim
noun1
a
: a demand for something (as money) due or believed to be due
specifically
: a demand for a benefit (as under the workers' compensation law) or contractual payment (as under an insurance policy)
b
: a paper embodying such a demand
filing a claim with the court
2
: a title to something (as a debt or privilege) in the possession of another
assigned her claim to the proceeds
3
a
: a right to seek a judicial remedy arising from a wrong or injury suffered
a plaintiff who has been injured in an accident has…one claim for a broken arm, another for a ruptured spleen, and so forth—J. H. Friedenthal et al.
J. H. Friedenthal et al.
also
: the formal assertion of such a right
bringing a claim in the district court
b
: cause of action sense 1
a plaintiff stating a claim for negligence
see also res judicata
Note: A cause of action may encompass more than one claim as the term is used in sense 3a. Claim is often used to mean cause of action, however, especially in modern federal practice.
c
: a right to payment or to an equitable remedy as set forth in the Bankruptcy Code see also proof of claim
4
: a formal assertion made by an applicant for a patent of the novelty and patentability of an invention with a description of the invention and its purpose
claim
transitive verb
Etymology
Noun
Old French, from clamer to call, claim, from Latin clamare to shout, proclaim
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