ENGLISH
REFERENCE

claim

n. countable
B1 Intermediate Oxford US //ˈkɫeɪm// UK //klˈeɪm// claim Archaic General-service

n. a statement that something is true, even if you cannot prove it yet. It can also be a formal request for money you believe you have a right to, like from an insurance company.

n. an assertion that something is true or factual, typically without immediate proof. In legal or financial contexts, it refers to a formal demand for compensation or the assertion of a right to property.


SIMPLE

The company made a claim about their new product.

CONTEXTUAL

After the minor car accident, she filed a claim with her insurance provider to cover the repair costs.

COMPLEX

The historian's controversial claim regarding the origin of the document sparked a heated debate among scholars, as no primary evidence had previously supported such a theory.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English claimen, borrowed from Old French clamer (“to call, name, send for”), from Latin clāmō, clāmāre (“to call, cry out”), from Proto-Italic klāmāō, from Proto-Indo-European kelh₁- (“to shout”), which is imitative. See also Lithuanian kalba (“language”), Old English hlōwan (“to low, make a noise like a cow”), Old High German halan (“to call”), Ancient Greek καλέω (kaléō, “to call, convoke”), κλέδον (klédon, “report, fame”), κέλαδος (kélados, “noise”), Middle Irish cailech (“cock”), Latin calō (“to call out, announce solemnly”), Sanskrit उषःकल (uṣaḥkala, “cock”, literally “dawn-calling”). Cognate with Spanish llamar and clamar.

Usage

Often followed by the preposition 'to' when referring to a right, or 'that' when introducing a statement of fact.

Pitfall

he made a claim for that he was innocenthe made a claim that he was innocentWhen 'claim' is followed by a clause, use 'that' rather than 'for that'.

Idioms2 entries

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