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

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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

Suit claims excessive force, unlawful arrest Byers and Bailey did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. — Theresa Clift, Sacbee.com, 19 Oct. 2026 The first version, dated September 30, 2026, claimed to show that all nontrivial zeros must be between 1/8 and 7/8, and was formally verified using the Lean programming language. — Quanta Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026

Noun

Earlier this year, Parker asked the Supreme Court to throw out the requirement to pay Maricopa County’s legal fees in the case, arguing such sanctions would deter attorneys from bringing aggressive or novel legal claims. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 In healthcare, a model flagged a patient at risk, scored a claim or surfaced a pattern. — Heather Bassett, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for claim

Recent Examples of Synonyms for claim

Verb

While officials insist the demolitions are a non-negotiable step toward revitalizing the corridor along Old National Highway, the families and owners left in the wake of the bulldozers say true recovery remains a distant promise.

— La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 16 Oct. 2026
There is a distinction, of course, between insisting on witnesses and staging a spectacle.

— Amy Davidson Sorkin, New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of insist

Verb

Speed, volume and rapidly shifting vectors are why a base of automation is required, while complexity and risk are the factors that demand human intervention.

— Carlos Morales, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Depending on the route, manufacturers can add protective layers and steel-wire armoring to help the cable withstand demanding conditions, particularly in shallower waters where anchors and fishing equipment pose greater risks.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of demand

Verb

Rather than undertaking the difficult but just and moral work of reform of the nation's immigration laws, Vance would destroy and expel their families with a smile, claiming that such actions will save you money.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
Running low on fuel, NASA chose to steer Cassini straight into Saturn's atmosphere, where the spacecraft was destroyed.

— Tariq Malik, Space.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of destroy

Noun

Many of his domestic critics have faulted him for prolonging the war in Gaza to appease his far-right allies, and for permitting ultra-Orthodox Jews to forgo military service to appease that sizable religious voter bloc.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2026
Ellison fils’s most high-profile hiring decision was to enlist Bari Weiss—the former Times Opinion editor and founder of the center-right publication The Free Press—as editor-in-chief of CBS News.

— Vinson Cunningham, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of right

Noun

Hines cofounded Nxum in 2022 with his father, Todd Hines, and marketing executive Gary Dennis, with each partner holding equal ownership stakes.

— Camila Grigera Naón, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
After all, the state just went through a high-stakes game of chicken with David Ellison, who threatened to move Paramount to locales like Tennessee or Texas if California kept pursuing him in court over his successful bid to acquire Warner Bros.

— Erik Hayden, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of stake

Noun

The battle — which escalated into a federal lawsuit filed Thursday by the Justice Department against the state, Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Logan — features striking assertions of official misconduct.

— Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Data from container shipping market analysis firm Linerlytica supports the assertion of a traffic increase.

— Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of assertion

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 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of claim

verb

noun

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