claim

1 /kleIm/ verb

1 (T) to state that something is true, even though it has not been proved: claim (that): Gascoigne claimed he'd been dining with friends at the time of the murder. | claim to be: She claims to be a descendant of Charles Dickens. | claim to have done: Doctors claimed to have discovered a cure for the disease. | claim responsibility/innocence/credit (=say officially that you are responsible, innocent etc)

2 (I, T) to officially demand or receive money from an organization

(+ on): You can claim on the insurance if you have an accident while on vacation. | The government intends to make legal aid harder to claim. | claim benefit/an allowance/damages (=officially receive money because you do not have a job, are injured etc)

3 (T) to state that you have a right to something or to take something that belongs to you: Viscount Lander will claim the title on his father's death. | Lost property can be claimed between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

4 (T) if a war, accident etc claims lives, people die because of it: The Kobe earthquake has so far claimed over 3000 lives.

5 (T) if something claims someone's attention or time, they have to consider it carefully: The issue of a united Ireland continues to claim our undivided attention.

2 noun (C)

1 MONEY

a) a request for money, especially money that you have a right to

(+ for): claims for compensation | make a claim/put in a claim: They put in a claim on the insurance for the stolen luggage. | pay claim (=a request made by workers for more money) | claim form (=an official form that you must fill in in order to get money from an organization)

b) the sum of money you request when making such a claim: The insurance company cannot meet such enormous claims.

2 STATEMENT a statement that something is true, even though it has not been proved: claim that: Dino denies claims that he is involved in a drugs ring. | claim to do/be sth: the Democratic claim to be the party of women's rights | make a claim: Photographs make a claim to portray reality in a way that paintings never can. | make no claim to do something (=used to say that you do not pretend to be able to do something): I make no claim to understand the complexities of the situation. | dispute a claim (=say publicly that a statement is not true)

3 FOR PRAISE/RESPECT ETC something that you say or do, that shows that you deserve to be successful

(+ to): Judging by last night's performance Ryan must have a claim to a place on the Olympic team.

4 TO OWN OR TAKE STH a right to have or get something such as land, a title etc that belongs to you

(+ to): No one can dispute Oliver's claim to the inheritance. | have a claim on/to sth: Surely they have a rightful claim to their father's land?

5 lay claim to sth to say that you have a right to own something: Ellen resented the stranger who laid claim to her brother's fortune.

6 stake your claim to say that you have a right to own something, especially when other people also say they have a right to own it: If you want some of the furniture now's the time to stake your claim.

7 claim to fame an expression meaning a reason why someone or something is famous, often used jokingly when mentioning something that is not very important: My main claim to fame is that I once shook Elvis' hand.

8 have a claim on sb to have a right to demand someone's time, attention etc: She seems to think she's got an exclusive claim on my time.

9 LAND something such as a piece of land that contains valuable minerals

-see also: jump a claim jump 1 (19)