claim

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}]
    

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.
      [1913 Webster]

   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.
      [1913 Webster]

   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]
      [1913 Webster]

   4. A loud call. [Obs.] --Spenser
      [1913 Webster]

   {To lay claim to}, to demand as a right. "Doth he lay claim
      to thine inheritance?" --Shak.
      [1913 Webster]
    

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.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. To proclaim. [Obs.] --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. To call or name. [Obs.] --Spenser.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. To assert; to maintain. [Colloq.]
      [1913 Webster]
    

Claim \Claim\, v. i.
   To be entitled to anything; to deduce a right or title; to
   have a claim.
   [1913 Webster]

         We must know how the first ruler, from whom any one
         claims, came by his authority.           --Locke.
   [1913 Webster]
    

279 Moby Thesaurus words for "claim":
      absolute interest, acquire, adduce, advance, adverse possession,
      affidavit, affirm, affirmation, allegation, allege, alodium,
      application, appurtenance, argue, ask, ask for, assert, assertion,
      authority, avow, be enfeoffed of, be entitled to, be hurting for,
      be indicated, be possessed of, be seized of, benefit, bill,
      bill of complaint, birthright, blackmail, boast, burgage, call,
      call for, catch up, challenge, claim, clamor for, clap hands on,
      clasp, claw, clench, clinch, clutch, colony, command, common,
      complaint, conjugal right, contend, contingent interest,
      contribution, cry for, cry out for, de facto, de jure, declaration,
      declare, defend, demand, demand for, dependency, deposition,
      derivative title, divine right, draft, drain, drain off, draw off,
      droit, due, duty, easement, embrace, enjoy, equitable interest,
      equity, estate, exact, exaction, extort, extortion,
      extortionate demand, faculty, fee fief, fee position, fee simple,
      fee simple absolute, fee simple conditional, fee simple defeasible,
      fee simple determinable, fee tail, feodum, feud, fiefdom, fill,
      frankalmoign, free socage, freehold, gavelkind, get, get hold of,
      glom on to, grab, grab hold of, grapple, grasp, grip, gripe, have,
      have and hold, have in hand, have occasion for, have tenure of,
      having title to, heavy demand, hold, holding, hug, impose,
      imposition, impost, inalienable right, indent, insist on,
      insist upon, insistent demand, interest, issue an ultimatum,
      justify, knight service, lay claim to, lay fee, lay hands on,
      lay hold of, lease, leasehold, legal claim, legal possession, levy,
      libel, limitation, loot, maintain, make a demand, mandate, nail,
      narratio, natural right, need, nip, nip up, nolle prosequi,
      nonnegotiable demand, nonsuit, notice, occupancy, occupation,
      occupy, order, order up, original title, owning, palm, part,
      partake, percentage, petition, pillage, place an order, pocket,
      possess, possessing, possession, postulate, power, preoccupancy,
      preoccupation, prepossession, prerequire, prerogative,
      prescription, presumptive right, pretend, pretend to, pretense,
      pretension, pretext, privilege, profess, profession, proper claim,
      property, property right, property rights, proprietary rights,
      protest too much, protestation, purport, put forth,
      put in requisition, receive, rend from, rending, request, require,
      requirement, requisition, right, right of entry, rights, ripping,
      rush, rush order, screw, seek, seisin, seize, set forth,
      settlement, share, snap up, snatch, socage, solicit, squat,
      squat on, squatting, stake, state, statement, statement of facts,
      steal, strict settlement, sublease, take, take by assault,
      take by storm, take doing, take hold of, take possession, tax,
      taxing, tear from, tearing, tenancy, tenantry, tenure,
      tenure in chivalry, title, tribute, trust, ultimatum, underlease,
      undertenancy, use, usucapion, usucapt, vested interest,
      vested right, villein socage, villeinhold, villenage, vindicate,
      want, want doing, warn, warning, warrant, whip up, wrench,
      wrench from, wrenching, wrest, wresting, wring, wring from,
      wringing