CLAIM Synonyms: 207 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the verb 'claim' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of claim are demand , exact , and require . While all these words mean "to ask or call for something as due or as necessary," claim implies a demand for the delivery or concession of something due as one's own or one's right. // claimed the right to manage his own affairs

Q: In what contexts can 'demand' take the place of 'claim'?

The synonyms demand and claim are sometimes interchangeable, but demand implies peremptoriness and insistence and often the right to make requests that are to be regarded as commands. // demanded payment of the debt

Q: When would 'exact' be a good substitute for 'claim'?

The words exact and claim are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exact implies not only demanding but getting what one demands. // exacts absolute loyalty

Q: Where would 'require' be a reasonable alternative to 'claim'?

In some situations, the words require and claim are roughly equivalent. However, require suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, or the exigencies of the situation. // the patient requires constant attention

claim 1 of 2

verb

ˈklām

Definition of claim

as in to insist

to state as a fact usually forcefully people who claim that they have been kidnapped by aliens from other worlds

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to demand

to ask for (something) earnestly or with authority after many years had passed, he suddenly appeared to claim his inheritance

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to destroy

to deprive of life cancer claims hundreds of thousands of Americans each year

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to need

to have as a requirement caring for her three small children claims virtually all of her time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

claim

2 of 2

noun

as in right

an entitlement to something I'm announcing my claim to that last slice of pizza

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in stake

a legal right to participation in the advantages, profits, and responsibility of something a shareholder has a claim in the business

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in assertion

a solemn and often public declaration of the truth or existence of something Galileo's claim that the moon has a very irregular surface and thus is not the perfect sphere that the ancients had imagined

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in request

something that someone insists upon having young children make great claims on their parents' time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb claim contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of claim are demand, exact, and require. While all these words mean "to ask or call for something as due or as necessary," claim implies a demand for the delivery or concession of something due as one's own or one's right.

claimed the right to manage his own affairs

In what contexts can demand take the place of claim?

The synonyms demand and claim are sometimes interchangeable, but demand implies peremptoriness and insistence and often the right to make requests that are to be regarded as commands.

demanded payment of the debt

When would exact be a good substitute for claim?

The words exact and claim are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, exact implies not only demanding but getting what one demands.

exacts absolute loyalty

Where would require be a reasonable alternative to claim?

In some situations, the words require and claim are roughly equivalent. However, require suggests the imperativeness that arises from inner necessity, compulsion of law or regulation, or the exigencies of the situation.

the patient requires constant attention

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of claim

Verb

On Saturday, the force received remains that gang members claimed belong to the missing Salvadorans. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Oct. 2026 Locals claimed that drinking it was helpful for a variety of respiratory and digestive problems. — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026

Noun

Trump made a similar claim on his own social media site earlier this month. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026 What to be skeptical of Convenience is the easiest claim to defend. — Hanna Wickes, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for claim

Recent Examples of Synonyms for claim

Verb

The administration insists its strategy of inflicting economic pain is working.

— Lauren Morganbesser, semafor.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Putin has long insisted that Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which Russia has tried — and failed — to fully capture over more than four years of war have always been Russian.

— Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of insist

Verb

These tests will measure how effectively the hardware handles demanding workloads, although HPE has not disclosed specific processing speeds or expected benchmark results.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
Many Worlds demands that our universe actually be a multiverse.

— Philipp Strasberg, Scientific American, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of demand

Verb

Cities outside Paris have been hit hard by the unrest, including Limoges where a fire nearly destroyed the 19th-century city hall.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Animal diseases also threaten our economy and food system, destroying more than 20% of global livestock production each year.

— Robert Kelly, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of destroy

Verb

Further research will be needed to determine how the motor behaves under different operating conditions and whether the principle can be incorporated into functional molecular technologies.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
Authorities were assessing who else needed help, including many whose homes weren't flooded but were cut off by floodwaters.

— MEAD GRUVER, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of need

Noun

Marketed under the brand name Keytruda, pembrolizumab is considered to be something of a wonder drug in its own right, with just 30% of patients relapsing in the first two years of treatment.

— Mike McRae October 25, New Atlas, 26 Oct. 2026
Machado left Venezuela in December for Norway to accept the Nobel Peace Prize, which she was awarded for promoting democratic rights in her country.

— Michael Rios, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of right

Noun

The request, obtained by the Washington Examiner, came in a Wednesday letter from Mike Davis, founder and president of the Article III Project, a conservative legal advocacy group.

— Kaelan Deese, The Washington Examiner, 22 Oct. 2026
It is held by an escrow agent, usually the title company or a broker, who is not permitted to hand it to either side on request.

— Gary Singer, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of request

Browse Nearby Words

clads

claim

claimant

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Style

“Claim.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/claim. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of claim

verb

noun

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