claim 1 of 2

Definition of claimnext
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claim

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noun

1
as in right
an entitlement to something I'm announcing my claim to that last slice of pizza

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in stake
a legal right to participation in the advantages, profits, and responsibility of something a shareholder has a claim in the business

Synonyms & Similar Words

3
4
as in request
something that someone insists upon having young children make great claims on their parents' time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb claim contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of claim are demand, exact, and require. While all these words mean "to ask or call for something as due or as necessary," claim implies a demand for the delivery or concession of something due as one's own or one's right.

claimed the right to manage his own affairs

In what contexts can demand take the place of claim?

The synonyms demand and claim are sometimes interchangeable, but demand implies peremptoriness and insistence and often the right to make requests that are to be regarded as commands.

demanded payment of the debt

When would exact be a good substitute for claim?

The words exact and claim are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exact implies not only demanding but getting what one demands.

exacts absolute loyalty

Where would require be a reasonable alternative to claim?

In some situations, the words require and claim are roughly equivalent. However, require suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, or the exigencies of the situation.

the patient requires constant attention

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of claim
Verb
Garcia said while Saint-Hilaire and Negron were friends with each other, reports claiming that Suarez was also friends of both victims were inaccurate. Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 23 May 2026 Loeffler gently pushed back at the idea that any coach should claim credit for a speller's success. ABC News, 23 May 2026
Noun
Iranian media have emphasized that reopening the waterway to shipping does not mean Tehran is relinquishing its wartime claims over the strategic chokepoint. Tim Lister, CNN Money, 24 May 2026 But this is no ordinary claim of genocide, which is occurring worldwide even today. Samuel S. Flax, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for claim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for claim
Verb
  • Team Johnson has insisted that Chicago should be — and in their minds still is — the first option.
    The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
  • Even Manny has to hand it to him, but Hartman proves he's matured and insists that saving the day was a team effort.
    Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 23 May 2026
Verb
  • Big crowds on Saturday suggested that the dissent persists more than a year after protests ignited to demand accountability for a train station tragedy in Serbia’s north in November 2024 that killed 16 people.
    Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
  • Workers had demanded a formalization of bonuses in their contracts, the scrapping of bonus caps, and a payout of 15% of Samsung's operating profits as bonuses.
    Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 23 May 2026
Verb
  • The disease — a fatal, genetic neurological disorder that progressively destroys nerve cells in the brain — did not just affect Spalding physically.
    Tereza Shkurtaj, PEOPLE, 24 May 2026
  • Vucic, government officials and the pro-government media have branded critics as foreign agents who wish to destroy the country — rhetoric that has ramped up political polarization.
    Jovana Gec, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2026
Verb
  • While the Strait is an important part of the deal in the region, Petraeus said that other issues need to be dealt with as well, including Tehran’s nuclear program and its funding for proxy groups like Hezbollah.
    Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 25 May 2026
  • Every good travel wardrobe needs one reliable black flat, and these Orinda Skimmers keep things simple in the best way.
    Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 25 May 2026
Noun
  • Like on the par-4 14th hole Monday, when her usual left-to-right ball flight with the driver went in the opposite direction and sailed into a hillside abutting the fairway.
    Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 May 2026
  • Then came digital rights management.
    Oana Godeanu-Kenworthy, Fortune, 25 May 2026
Noun
  • In a high-stakes decision that will shape California’s economy for years, air officials late Friday approved a sweeping overhaul of the state’s signature climate program, cap-and-invest.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
  • Programs like Breakthrough Therapy designation, Accelerated Approval, expanded access and the use of surrogate endpoints exist precisely because traditional timelines are not always appropriate when lives are at stake.
    Elise Esposito, Boston Herald, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • Underneath the topmost layer (a user clicking through a browser), a comprehensive E2E setup involves mocking production endpoints, intercepting network requests, seeding databases, making precise assertions at every layer of the stack and integrating tightly with CI pipelines.
    Ethan Pronev, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
  • But officials from each of the two states rejected Florida's assertions.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 26 May 2026
Noun
  • We were whisked around in golf carts, engaged in happy banter at the bar and felt accommodated when last-minute changes or requests arose.
    Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 27 May 2026
  • Mayor Michelle Wu’s office did not respond to a request for comment on how the city plans to spend the grant funding.
    Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 27 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Claim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claim. Accessed 30 May. 2026.

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