claim (claims plural & 3rd person present) (claiming present participle) (claimed past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you say that someone claimsthat something is true, you mean they say that it is true but you are not sure whether or not they are telling the truth.
(=maintain)
He claimed that it was all a conspiracy against him... V that
A man claiming to be a journalist threatened to reveal details about her private life... V to-inf
`I had never received one single complaint against me,' claimed the humiliated doctor... V with quote
He claims a 70 to 80 per cent success rate. V n
2 n-count A claim is something which someone says which they cannot prove and which may be false.
usu with supp, oft N that
He repeated his claim that the people of Trinidad and Tobago backed his action..., He rejected claims that he had affairs with six women.
3 verb If you say that someone claims responsibility or credit for something, you mean they say that they are responsible for it, but you are not sure whether or not they are telling the truth.
An underground organisation has claimed responsibility for the bomb explosion... V n
4 verb If you claim something, you try to get it because you think you have a right to it.
Now they are returning to claim what was theirs. V n
5 n-count A claim is a demand for something that you think you have a right to.
oft N to n
Rival claims to Macedonian territory caused conflict in the Balkans.
6 verb If someone claims a record, title, or prize, they gain or win it. (JOURNALISM)
Zhuang claimed the record in 54.64 seconds... V n
7 n-count If you have a claim on someone or their attention, you have the right to demand things from them or to demand their attention.
N on n
She'd no claims on him now..., He was surrounded by people, all with claims on his attention.
8 verb If something or someone claims your attention, they need you to spend your time and effort on them.
There is already a long list of people claiming her attention. V n
9 verb If you claim money from the government, an insurance company, or another organization, you officially apply to them for it, because you think you are entitled to it according to their rules.
Some 25 per cent of the people who are entitled to claim State benefits do not do so... V n
John had taken out redundancy insurance but when he tried to claim, he was refused payment... V
They intend to claim for damages against the three doctors. V for n
Claim is also a noun., n-count oft N for n
...the office which has been dealing with their claim for benefit..., Last time we made a claim on our insurance they paid up really quickly.
10 verb If you claim money or other benefits from your employers, you demand them because you think you deserve or need them.
The union claimed a pay rise worth four times the rate of inflation. V n
Claim is also a noun., n-count oft N for n
They are making substantial claims for improved working conditions..., Electricity workers have voted for industrial action in pursuit of a pay claim.
11 verb If you say that a war, disease, or accident claims someone's life, you mean that they are killed in it or by it.
FORMAL Heart disease is the biggest killer, claiming 180,000 lives a year. V n
13 Someone's claim to fame is something quite important or interesting that they have done or that is connected with them.
claim to fame phrase claim inflects, oft poss PHR
Barbara Follett's greatest claim to fame is that she taught Labour MPs how to look good on television.
14 If you lay claim to something you do not have, you say that it belongs to you.
FORMAL
lay claim to sth phrase V inflects, PHR n
Five Asian countries lay claim to the islands.
15
→
to stake a claim
→
stake
