claim

«claim» in Mova's school dictionary: true, even though others may not believe it or it is not… — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

part of speech

verb (claim, claims, claimed, claiming); noun (a claim, claims)

meaning for a pupil

1) To say that something is true, even though others may not believe it or it is not proven. tree →

2) To ask for or take something because you say it belongs to you or you have a right to it (claim your prize, claim your luggage). tree →

3) A statement that something is true. tree →

4) A request for money or something you are owed (an insurance claim). tree →

5) To take a life or cause something to be lost (The fire claimed three houses — formal). tree →

sense in the lessons

In school, especially in science, reading and debating, a claim is an idea someone says is true, which needs evidence to support it: «claim, evidence, reasoning». In media lessons pupils learn to check claims in adverts and online posts. In everyday life you claim lost property, a prize or bags at the airport. Phrases: claim to be, claim that, make a claim, lay claim to, claim to fame, baggage claim.

examples

• He claims he saw a ghost in the attic. tree →
• The advert claims this drink makes you run faster — is there any evidence? tree →
• You can claim your lost jumper from the office. tree →
• Our science claim was that plants need light to grow. tree →
• She claimed the last cookie before anyone else could. tree →
• We waited at baggage claim for our suitcases. tree →
• His claim to fame is that he met the Prime Minister. tree →
• Check claims on the internet before you share them. tree →

note

A claim is not the same as a fact: a claim may be true or false until it is checked. «Claim that…» or «claim to be…». In the USA airports say «baggage claim»; in the UK «baggage reclaim».

In the corpora

• While a parent is unemployed the family may claim benefits and cut spending; free fun like parks and libraries helps.
• "Allegedly" means someone has claimed it but it is not proved; a parody account is a joke copying a real name.
• «Sources close to» someone are people a newspaper does not name, so their claims cannot be checked by the reader.
• Tools that claim to catch AI make mistakes too, and scammers can now fake a whole video call.
• That is honest; claiming you felt the waves would not be.

Trees and pragmatics

Every meaning and example of «claim» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.