[~ + object] to demand by or as if by a right: to claim an estate by inheritance.
to state (something) as true or as a fact: [~ + (that) clause]claimed that she was telling the truth.[~ + to + verb]She claimed to be telling the truth.
to require (something) as proper:[~ + object]to claim respect.
to take or expect to receive (credit, etc.):[~ + object]The terrorists claimed responsibility for the attack.
to call for; collect (something missing or held for another):[~ + object]Has anyone claimed the lost wallet?
to take (lives, casualties):[~ + object]The war claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.
-claim- comes from Latin, where it has the meaning "call out; talk; shout.'' This meaning is found in such words as: acclaim, claim, clamor, exclaim, proclaim.
to demand by or as by virtue of a right; demand as a right or as due:to claim an estate by inheritance.
to assert and demand the recognition of (a right, title, possession, etc.); assert one's right to:to claim payment for services.
to assert or maintain as a fact:She claimed that he was telling the truth.
to require as due or fitting:to claim respect.
v.i.
to make or file a claim:to claim for additional compensation.
n.
a demand for something as due; an assertion of a right or an alleged right:He made unreasonable claims on the doctor's time.
an assertion of something as a fact:He made no claims to originality.
a right to claim or demand; a just title to something:His claim to the heavyweight title is disputed.
something that is claimed, esp. a piece of public land for which formal request is made for mining or other purposes.
a request or demand for payment in accordance with an insurance policy, a workers' compensation law, etc.:We filed a claim for compensation from the company.
Idiomslay claim to, to declare oneself entitled to:I have never laid claim to being an expert in tax laws.
Anglo-French, Old French cla(i)me, noun, nominal derivative of the verb, verbal
Latin clāmāre to cry out; (noun, nominal) Middle English
Anglo-French, Old French claimer
(verb, verbal) Middle English claimen 1250–1300
claim′a•ble, adj. claim′less, adj.
1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See demand.
6.See corresponding entry in Unabridged request, requisition, call.
to demand as being due or as one's property; assert one's title or right to: he claimed the record
(takes a clause as object or an infinitive)to assert as a fact; maintain against denial: he claimed to be telling the truth
to call for or need; deserve: this problem claims our attention
to take: the accident claimed four lives
an assertion of a right; a demand for something as due
an assertion of something as true, real, or factual: he made claims for his innocence
a right or just title to something; basis for demand: a claim to fame
anything that is claimed, esp in a formal or legal manner, such as a piece of land staked out by a miner
a document under seal, issued in the name of the Crown or a court, commanding the person to whom it is addressed to do or refrain from doing some specified act former namewrit1
a demand for payment in connection with an insurance policy, etc
the sum of money demanded
Etymology: 13th Century: from Old French claimer to call, appeal, from Latin clāmāre to shoutˈclaimableˈclaimer
'claim to fame' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):