paw

1 of 2

noun

ˈpȯ 

1

: the foot of a quadruped (such as a lion or dog) that has claws

broadly : the foot of an animal

2

: a human hand especially when large or clumsy

paw

2 of 2

verb

pawed; pawing; paws

transitive verb

1

: to touch or strike at with a paw

2

: to feel or touch clumsily, rudely, or sexually

3

: to scrape or beat with or as if with a hoof

4

: to flail at or grab for wildly

intransitive verb

1

: to beat or scrape something with or as if with a hoof

2

: to touch or strike with a paw

3

: to feel or touch someone or something clumsily, rudely, or sexually

4

: to flail or grab wildly

5

: to search especially carelessly or roughly

pawed through the box of discount items

Examples of paw in a Sentence

Noun

The dog injured his paw.

Verb

The bull was pawing the dirt.

The celebrity couple was pawed by a mob of adoring fans.

She claims that her boss got drunk and tried to paw her at the company Christmas party.

A crowd of customers was pawing over the remaining sales items.

She pawed through her purse to find her cell phone.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Dog Found With All 4 Paws And Ears Cut Off Transformed ‘Against All Odds’ By Jack Beresford Senior Life and Trends Reporter 9 A dog named Zoe who was found with all four of her paws and her ears cut off has shown incredible courage to thrive in the face of adversity. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 2 Dec. 2024

Epic, an 8-year-old dog, was adopted as a rescue and developed a cancerous growth on his leg that prevented him from using all four of his paws. —Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 29 Nov. 2024

Verb

When the cat falls overboard and can’t paw its way back to the surface, it’s rescued from drowning by the opportune passing of a mammoth humpback, who catches the animal on its nose and breaches just in time. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 20 Nov. 2024

Raya made a telling contribution by pawing away Jorgen Strand Larsen’s first-half header. —James McNicholas, The Athletic, 17 Aug. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French powe, poe

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing paw

• cat's-paw

Kids Definition

paw

1 of 2 noun

ˈpȯ 

1

: the foot of a four-footed animal (as a lion or dog) having claws

also : the foot of an animal

2

: a human hand especially when large or clumsy

paw

2 of 2 verb

1

: to touch or strike with a paw

2

: to touch or handle clumsily or rudely

pawed the merchandise

3

: to scrape or beat with or as if with a hoof

4

: to grab at wildly

5

: to search especially carelessly or roughly

pawed through the box of letters