claim 1 of 2

verb

ˈklām How to pronounce claim (audio)
Definition of claimnext
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to destroy
to deprive of life cancer claims hundreds of thousands of Americans each year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

claim

2 of 2

noun

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

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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
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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
One source claimed that her contract had expired. —Andrew Ravens‎, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025 Investigators then allegedly learned that the attack was not random and claimed that Dos Santos gained information about the family's financial background and personal information from her mom's tax and financial services company, per the Orlando Sentinel. —Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
The state agency sought to dismiss the legal claim on procedural grounds, but now the suit is scheduled to play out this fall. —Kevin Fixler september 20, Idaho Statesman, 20 Sep. 2025 Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur hit back at Lewis Hamilton's claim regarding the team's tire choice costing him a spot in Q3 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying. —Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for claim
Recent Examples of Synonyms for claim
  1. insist
  2. demand
  3. destroy
  4. need
  5. right
  6. stake
  7. assertion
  8. request
Verb
  • Google, of course, insists the AI Overviews arrangement benefits everyone.
    — Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • Caracas insists the buildup is part of a broader campaign directed at undermining President Nicolás Maduro’s government.
    — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 15 Sep. 2025
Definition of insist
Verb
  • As world leaders, business executives, and policy makers prepare to gather for Climate Week NYC's official programming, activists are demanding more aggressive action from those with the greatest economic and political power.
    — Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
  • Across biotech, cloud, and chips, American corporate leaders are trading the future for fleeting profits—enabled by a governance regime that demands little more.
    — Andrew King, Fortune, 20 Sep. 2025
Definition of demand
Verb
  • In a poignant touch, the seating within is made of wood sourced from ancient cedar trees, which previously grew near a Japanese temple destroyed by the earthquake.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2025
  • His death destroyed the agent’s two-year path to take down the Invernizzi family.
    — Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 21 Sep. 2025
Definition of destroy
Verb
  • London desperately needs that at a time when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his ministers have been accused of harming business sentiment and investment with recent tax rises.
    — Holly Ellyatt, CNBC, 17 Sep. 2025
  • However, the win was a team effort as forward Brianna Turner (four points, six rebounds), forward Mikayla Timpson (nine points), guards Shey Peddy, Lexie Hull, and Aerial Powers brought the defensive energy and physicality that Indiana desperately needed.
    — Allison Smith, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of need
Noun
  • Iran has executed a man accused of spying for Israel, Iranian state media reported, after the rights group Amnesty International said the man, Babak Shahbazi, had been sentenced to death in an unfair trial marred by allegations of torture.
    — Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The attorney general faced immense backlash from the left and the right over her comments, prompting her to clarify the remarks, which were widely interpreted as calling for unlawful prosecutions, on Tuesday morning.
    — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
Definition of right
Noun
  • Monday's order doesn't change Delta's 20% equity stake in Aeromexico.
    — Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Twelve policymakers at the Federal Reserve are set to take a high-stakes vote this week on the nation's benchmark interest rate, attempting to steer the economy through a stormy bout of slow hiring and rising inflation.
    — Max Zahn, ABC News, 15 Sep. 2025
Definition of stake
Noun
  • An allied assertion is that if AI generates foul code, tell the AI to get its act together and fix the darned stuff.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Other assertions about Kirk’s legacy have been more divisive.
    — Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2025
Definition of assertion
Noun
  • Judge Stark denied Blue Water’s request to extend the timeline, but did give the company access to the Citgo data room used in the process, which doesn’t entirely shut the door on Hernandez’s firm.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The police department did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment or to provide an update on the status of their investigation.
    — Erin Jensen, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of request

Browse Nearby Words

clads
claim
claimant
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Cite this Entry

“Claim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claim. Accessed 22 Sep. 2025.

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