claw
To scratch or to tear atTo scratch or to tear at.
Recorded US: Dvortygirl, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Translations
7 languagesBy meaning 2
By meaning 2
Meaning
8 sensesTo scratch or to tear at.
kratzen, zerkratzen
цара́патьcarápatʹ
To use the claws to seize, to grip.
klammern, krallen
вцепи́ться когтя́миvcepítʹsja kogtjámi
To use the claws to climb.
More meanings 5
To perform a claw catch.
To move with one's fingertips.
(obsolete, transitive)To relieve an uneasy feeling, such as an itch, by scratching (someone or something); hence (figuratively), to flatter or humour (someone); to court, to fawn on.
(obsolete, transitive)To rail at, revile, or scold (someone or something).
(obsolete, transitive)To do (something) quickly.
- move as if by clawing, seizing, or digging
- clutch as if in panic
- scratch, scrape, pull, or dig with claws or nails
- attack as if with claws
Origin
From Middle English clawen, from a combination of Old English clawan/clāwan (a remodellingFrom Middle English clawen, from a combination of Old English clawan/clāwan (a remodelling of *clīeġan, from Proto-West Germanic *klauwjan, from Proto-Germanic *klawjaną) and Old English clawian (from Proto-West Germanic *klawēn).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
claws, clawing, clawed, clawedTenses
claw · clawed · will claw · have clawedPhrasal verbs
3 phrasal verbsWord family
3 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.