claw

Plural: claws

Noun

• sharp curved horny process on the toe of a bird or some mammals or reptiles
• a mechanical device that is curved or bent to suspend or hold or pull something
• a grasping structure on the limb of a crustacean or other arthropods
• a bird's foot
• A curved, pointed, horny projection on each digit of the foot of a mammal, reptile, or bird.
• A foot equipped with such.
• The pincer (chela) of a crustacean or other arthropod.
• A mechanical device resembling a claw, used for gripping or lifting.
• A human fingernail, particularly one extending well beyond the fingertip.
• A slender appendage or process, formed like a claw, such as the base of petals of the pink.
• The act of catching a ball overhand.
• A tree with one internal vertex and three leaves.

Verb

Verb Forms: clawed, clawing, claws

• To scratch or tear with sharp, curved nails or talons.
• move as if by clawing, seizing, or digging
  • "They clawed their way to the top of the mountain"
• clutch as if in panic
  • "She clawed the doorknob"
• scratch, scrape, pull, or dig with claws or nails
• attack as if with claws
  • "The politician clawed his rival"
• To scratch or to tear at.
• To use the claws to seize, to grip.
• To use the claws to climb.
• To perform a claw catch.
• To move with one's fingertips.
• To relieve an uneasy feeling, such as an itch, by scratching (someone or something); hence (figuratively), to flatter or humour (someone); to court, to fawn on.
• To rail at, revile, or scold (someone or something).
• To do (something) quickly.

Examples

• He tried to CLAW his way back into the Scrabble game after a disastrous early play.

Synonyms

chela, hook, nipper, pincer

Anagrams of claw