to claw
31
1.1
- verb
- /klɔː/
- She clawed her way up the steep hill, determined to reach the top.
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Watch on YouTubeMaybe she's clawed the guy, maybe it's his blood.
- Maybe she's clawed the guy, maybe it's his blood.
- Is your cat clawing at your furnitures?
- I'll pick up our cat and he like will claw me every once in a while.
- And he's on, he's basically curled up on the ground and he's just like clawing at the earth and screaming, clawing at the earth.
- Oh my God, this is not not to give him in a suit like frozen in an explosion in the body bag, like clawing at his face, clawing at his face.
- Some tried to claw two holes through the trucks foam insulation just to try to get a breath of fresh air.
Examples
-
The cat clawed at the scratching post to sharpen its nails.
-
We scratch and claw, but only at the air, only at each other.
-
The dogs shot the length of their chains and tried to claw through his door.
Fiction book (1992) -
And the team still had to scratch and claw its way into the Big Dance.
Blog text (12) -
If she cared to claw him now, she could really tear him up.
Fiction book (1991) -
You are constantly clawing your way from project to project, trying to claw your way up.
-
He attacks his victims from behind and then claws at them.
-
The bear stared back now, clawing at the bed, trying to dig us out.
Fiction book (1990) -
The kitten claws at my leg and cries, and I lift him into my arms.
Fiction book (1993) -
The kitten clawed at my bare ankle, and I dangled a peapod in front of him.
Fiction book (1993)
Synonyms
161
1.1
To cut or mark a surface by scraping it with something sharp
62
1.2
To rub material off a surface with something hard or sharp
9
1.0
To scrape or hit something repeatedly with an animal's foot
1
3.5
Make small cuts or marks on a surface by rubbing it
To scratch someone with nails or claws
To make a harsh scraping sound by rubbing against a surface
Idioms
- Literature
Act in a very fierce and aggressive way when trying to keep or get something
Compounds
- Specialized
A plant or extract used as a medicine for inflammation and to help the immune system
A plant that lives one year with pale flowers marked with purple and a long curved seed pod
- South African
A plant from southern Africa whose root is used to reduce swelling and joint pain
How Damaging
Surface Forms
Etymology
Claw when used as a verb comes from the old noun clawu 'hook', meaning to use a hooked nail. So to claw someone or something is to scratch or tear at them with your nails.