Synonyms of claim

claim 1 of 2

verb

ˈklām 

1

as in to insist

to state as a fact usually forcefully

people who claim that they have been kidnapped by aliens from other worlds

Synonyms & Similar Words

• insist
• allege
• assert
• contend
• declare
• maintain
• argue
• affirm
• proclaim
• announce
• protest
• purport
• profess
• aver
• confirm
• warrant
• defend
• put forth
• reason
• avow
• justify
• avouch
• rationalize
• vindicate
• broadcast
• uphold
• reaffirm
• reassert
• persevere
• support

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deny
• reject
• abandon
• negative
• disclaim
• dispute
• challenge
• repudiate
• question
• negate
• gainsay
• refute
• disprove
• rebut
• disavow
• contradict
• counter
• disown
• confute

2

as in to demand

to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority

after many years had passed, he suddenly appeared to claim his inheritance

Synonyms & Similar Words

• demand
• request
• require
• ask
• want
• call (for)
• command
• exact
• quest
• need
• press (for)
• enjoin
• insist (on)
• stipulate (for)
• clamor (for)
• take
• necessitate
• warrant
• impose
• plead (for)
• cry (for)
• harass
• requisition
• hound
• dun
• badger

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• yield
• surrender
• give up
• relinquish

3

as in to destroy

to deprive of life

cancer claims hundreds of thousands of Americans each year

Synonyms & Similar Words

• destroy
• kill
• slay
• take
• dispatch
• fell
• carry off
• murder
• do for
• do in
• croak
• slaughter
• cut down
• neutralize
• waste
• assassinate
• finish
• do away with
• take out
• get
• execute
• make away with
• blot out
• annihilate
• massacre
• whack
• put away
• smite
• decimate
• rub out
• off
• terminate
• kill off
• bump off
• butcher
• snuff
• mow
• ice
• put down
• knock off
• scrag
• suicide
• martyr
• euthanatize
• euthanize

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• restore
• raise
• revive
• animate
• resurrect
• nurture
• resuscitate

4

as in to need

to have as a requirement

caring for her three small children claims virtually all of her time

Synonyms & Similar Words

• need
• require
• want
• take
• demand
• challenge
• involve
• call for
• necessitate
• warrant
• ask
• entail
• bear
• beg
• insist
• lack
• stipulate
• cry (for)
• hurt (for)
• exact
• quest
• enjoin
• clamor (for)
• press
• command

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• have
• hold
• possess
• own

claim

2 of 2

noun

1

as in right

an entitlement to something

I'm announcing my claim to that last slice of pizza

Synonyms & Similar Words

• right
• call
• pretence
• title
• pretense
• dibs
• refusal
• privilege
• prerogative
• pretension
• birthright
• favor

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• waiver
• release
• disclaimer
• quitclaim

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

• stake
• interest
• share
• ownership
• partnership
• title
• possession
• part
• co-ownership

3

as in assertion

a solemn and often public declaration of the truth or existence of something

Galileo's claim that the moon has a very irregular surface and thus is not the perfect sphere that the ancients had imagined

Synonyms & Similar Words

• assertion
• declaration
• insistence
• allegation
• announcement
• affirmation
• proclamation
• argument
• profession
• avowal
• protestation
• asseveration
• avouchment
• pronouncement
• justification
• confirmation
• reason
• vindication
• rationalization
• reaffirmation
• reconfirmation

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dispute
• question
• challenge
• disclaimer
• disavowal
• rebuttal
• refutation
• denial
• contradiction
• negation
• disproof
• confutation

4

as in request

something that someone insists upon having

young children make great claims on their parents' time

Synonyms & Similar Words

• request
• demand
• requirement
• wish
• must
• requisition
• desire
• stipulation
• ultimatum
• dun
• need
• provision
• importunity
• essential
• want
• imposition
• basic
• drive
• condition

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

Recent Examples of claim

Verb

The lawsuit claimed that Moore’s attorney sent a formal cease and desist letter, with a DMCA violation notice to Bailey in January. —Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 22 Feb. 2025

Since the drama became one of Netflix’s biggest international hits on its release in 2024, Harvey has claimed she has been wrongly targeted as the real-life inspiration for the story. —Caroline Frost, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2025

Noun

Wildfire victims were facing heaps of bureaucratic paperwork, such as insurance claims, loan applications or temporary housing agreements, likely executed while sitting at a computer. —Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2025

Court officials, meanwhile, have strongly pushed back against SEIU’s claims of short-staffing, inadequate cost-of-living adjustments and a failure to fully and properly train employees. —Jakob Rodgers, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025