Library / English Dictionary

CLAW

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A bird's foot

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("claw" is a kind of...):

bird's foot (the foot of a bird)

Derivation:

claw (scratch, scrape, pull, or dig with claws or nails)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird or some mammals or reptiles

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("claw" is a kind of...):

horny structure; unguis (any rigid body structure composed primarily of keratin)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "claw"):

bear claw (claw of a bear; often used in jewelry)

talon (a sharp hooked claw especially on a bird of prey)

Derivation:

claw (scratch, scrape, pull, or dig with claws or nails)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A grasping structure on the limb of a crustacean or other arthropods

Synonyms:

chela; claw; nipper; pincer

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Hypernyms ("claw" is a kind of...):

appendage; extremity; member (an external body part that projects from the body)

Holonyms ("claw" is a part of...):

crustacean (any mainly aquatic arthropod usually having a segmented body and chitinous exoskeleton)

Derivation:

claw (scratch, scrape, pull, or dig with claws or nails)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A mechanical device that is curved or bent to suspend or hold or pull something

Synonyms:

claw; hook

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Hypernyms ("claw" is a kind of...):

mechanical device (mechanism consisting of a device that works on mechanical principles)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "claw"):

anchor; ground tackle (a mechanical device that prevents a vessel from moving)

pothook (an S-shaped hook to suspend a pot over a fire)

tenterhook (one of a series of hooks used to hold cloth on a tenter)

Holonyms ("claw" is a part of...):

clothes hanger; coat hanger; dress hanger (a hanger that is shaped like a person's shoulders and used to hang garments on)

grapnel; grapple; grappler; grappling hook; grappling iron (a tool consisting of several hooks for grasping and holding; often thrown with a rope)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Attack as if with claws

Example:

The politician clawed his rival

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "claw" is one way to...):

assail; assault; attack; lash out; round; snipe (attack in speech or writing)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Clutch as if in panic

Example:

She clawed the doorknob

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "claw" is one way to...):

clutch; prehend; seize (take hold of; grab)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Sense 3

Meaning:

Scratch, scrape, pull, or dig with claws or nails

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "claw" is one way to...):

scrape; scratch; scratch up (cut the surface of; wear away the surface of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "claw"):

clapperclaw (claw with the nails)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

claw (a bird's foot)

claw (sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird or some mammals or reptiles)

claw (a grasping structure on the limb of a crustacean or other arthropods)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Move as if by clawing, seizing, or digging

Example:

They clawed their way to the top of the mountain

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Hypernyms (to "claw" is one way to...):

make; work (proceed along a path)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something PP

Credits

 Context examples: 

The colour went from their six faces like enchantment; some leaped to their feet, some clawed hold of others; Morgan grovelled on the ground.

(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)

Devil's claw has been used as a tonic, as a hypoglycemic, to cleanse the lymph system, and in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, and skin cancer.

(Devils Claw, NCI Thesaurus)

The domestic short-hair cat has a flexible, compact body and long tail that enhances balance, as well as keen eyesight and retractable claws.

(Domestic Short Hair Cat, NCI Thesaurus)

The marmoset has claws instead of nails and walks on all four legs.

(Marmoset, NCI Thesaurus)

The paw contains claws or nails and pads composed of a thick keratinized dermis covering collagenous adipose tissue.

(Paw, NCI Thesaurus)

Unlike any animals he had ever encountered, they did not bite nor claw.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

His great chest was low to the ground, his head forward and down, while his feet were flying like mad, the claws scarring the hard-packed snow in parallel grooves.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

It had been fighting, and manifestly had had a savage opponent, for its throat was torn away, and its belly was slit open as if with a savage claw.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I tried to reach it, in a mad resolve to claw into the wood with my nails, but my arms were heavy and lifeless.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

The men were little red fellows, and had been bitten and clawed so that they could hardly walk.

(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)