From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Claim \Claim\, n. [Of. claim cry, complaint, from clamer. See
Claim, v. t.]
1. A demand of a right or supposed right; a calling on
another for something due or supposed to be due; an
assertion of a right or fact.
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2. A right to claim or demand something; a title to any debt,
privilege, or other thing in possession of another; also,
a title to anything which another should give or concede
to, or confer on, the claimant. "A bar to all claims upon
land." --Hallam.
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3. The thing claimed or demanded; that (as land) to which any
one intends to establish a right;; as, a settler's claim;
a miner's claim. [U.S. & Australia]
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4. A loud call. [Obs.] --Spenser
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To lay claim to, to demand as a right. "Doth he lay claim
to thine inheritance?" --Shak.
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Claim \Claim\ (kl[=a]m), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Claimed
(kl[=a]md); p. pr. & vb. n. Claiming.] [OE. clamen,
claimen, OF. clamer, fr. L. clamare to cry out, call; akin to
calare to proclaim, Gr. kalei^n to call, Skr. kal to sound,
G. holen to fetch, E. hale haul.]
1. To ask for, or seek to obtain, by virtue of authority,
right, or supposed right; to challenge as a right; to
demand as due.
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2. To proclaim. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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3. To call or name. [Obs.] --Spenser.
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4. To assert; to maintain. [Colloq.]
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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Claim \Claim\, v. i.
To be entitled to anything; to deduce a right or title; to
have a claim.
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We must know how the first ruler, from whom any one
claims, came by his authority. --Locke.
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From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
claim
n 1: an assertion of a right (as to money or property); "his
claim asked for damages"
2: an assertion that something is true or factual; "his claim
that he was innocent"; "evidence contradicted the
government's claims"
3: demand for something as rightful or due; "they struck in
support of their claim for a shorter work day"
4: an informal right to something; "his claim on her
attentions"; "his title to fame" [syn: claim, title]
5: an established or recognized right; "a strong legal claim to
the property"; "he had no documents confirming his title to
his father's estate"; "he staked his claim" [syn: title,
claim]
6: a demand especially in the phrase "the call of duty" [syn:
call, claim]
v 1: assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing;
"He claimed that he killed the burglar" [ant: disclaim]
2: demand as being one's due or property; assert one's right or
title to; "He claimed his suitcases at the airline counter";
"Mr. Smith claims special tax exemptions because he is a
foreign resident" [syn: claim, lay claim, arrogate]
[ant: forego, forfeit, forgo, give up, {throw
overboard}, waive]
3: ask for legally or make a legal claim to, as of debts, for
example; "They claimed on the maximum allowable amount"
4: lay claim to; as of an idea; "She took credit for the whole
idea" [syn: claim, take] [ant: disclaim]
5: take as an undesirable consequence of some event or state of
affairs; "the accident claimed three lives"; "The hard work
took its toll on her" [syn: claim, take, exact]