claw
gb/klˈɔ/ us/klˈɔ/
A2
Engels
~ 9700
karom, karmol, kapar, kiküzd, felküzdi magát, visszaküzdi magát, olló, rákolló, fogókarom
ZELFSTANDIG NAAMWOORD
A2
1
karom
B1
Gebruikspatroon:
an animal’s claw; [animal] uses its claws to [action]
The cat dug its claws into the sofa.
A macska belevájta a karmait a kanapéba.
Eagles use their powerful claws to catch fish from the river.
A sasok erős karmaikkal ragadják ki a halakat a folyóból.
He trimmed the dog’s claws so it wouldn’t scratch the floor.
The lizard gripped the rock with its tiny claws.
She felt the kitten’s claws gently catch on her sweater.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
The cat’s claws are very sharp.
A macska karmai nagyon élesek.
The bird holds the mouse in its claws.
A madár a karmaiban tartja az egeret.
Please cut the dog’s claws; they are too long.
The kitten caught my hand with its small claws.
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners sometimes call animal claws “nails.” While this is understood, “claw” is the usual word for cats, birds of prey, and many wild animals.
Betekenis
curved nail of an animal
Woordcombinaties
sharp claws
|cat’s claws
|eagle’s talons and claws
|claws extended
|front claws
|scratch with its claws
Synoniemen
talon (Usually used for the claws of birds of prey, sounds more technical or literary.)
Antoniemen
hoof (A hard covering on the feet of animals like horses; contrasts with separate claws or nails.)
Thema's
animals
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Definitie
A hard, sharp, curved nail at the end of an animal’s toe, like a cat’s or eagle’s nail.
A hard, sharp, curved nail at the end of the toe or foot of an animal such as a cat, bird of prey, or reptile, used for catching or holding things.
B1
2
Gebruikspatroon:
to claw [something]; to claw at [something]
The cat clawed the curtains until they were full of holes.
A macska addig karmolta a függönyöket, amíg tele nem lettek lyukakkal.
Trapped under the rubble, he clawed at the bricks with his bare hands.
A romok alá szorulva puszta kézzel kaparta a téglákat.
She instinctively clawed his arm when she got a fright.
The bear clawed the tree trunk, leaving deep marks in the bark.
He clawed his way through the packed crowd to reach the exit.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
The dog claws at the door when it wants to go out.
A kutya kaparja az ajtót, amikor ki akar menni.
The cat clawed my leg and it hurt.
A macska megkarmolta a lábamat, és fájt.
He fell and clawed the wall to stop himself.
The mouse clawed at the box to get free.
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners sometimes use “claw” only for animals and forget it can also describe a person using their fingernails in a rough way, especially in fear, anger, or when trying to escape.
Betekenis
scratch or tear with claws
Woordcombinaties
claw at the door
|claw his way out
|claw the furniture
|claw her face
|claw the ground
Synoniemen
scratch (More general and common; does not always suggest strong or repeated action like “claw” can.)
Antoniemen
stroke (Means to touch gently and smoothly, the opposite of a rough, scratching action.)
Thema's
actions
|violence
|body
|animals
|core_vocabulary
Definitie
To scratch or cut something with claws or with your nails.
To scratch, tear, or dig into the surface of something with claws or fingernails.
WERKWOORD
B2
3
Gebruikspatroon:
to claw [one’s] way [adverb/place]; to claw [one’s] way back to [state/position]
After the scandal, the company clawed its way back to profit over several years.
A botrány után a cég több év alatt küzdötte vissza magát abba a helyzetbe, hogy újra nyereséges legyen.
She clawed her way to the top of the industry through talent and persistence.
Tehetségével és kitartásával küzdötte fel magát az iparág élére.
The team clawed its way back from three goals down to win the match.
He clawed his way out of debt by taking extra jobs and cutting expenses.
They slowly clawed their way back into the playoff race.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
The small shop clawed its way back after the pandemic.
A kis bolt a járvány után nagy nehezen újra talpra küzdötte magát.
He clawed his way out of a very poor life.
Kiküzdötte magát a nagy szegénységből.
The team clawed its way back and finally won.
She clawed her way to a good job in the city.
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners may use only “work hard” or “try hard” and not recognize “claw your way” as a fixed phrase meaning very slow and difficult progress toward success.
Betekenis
struggle forward or to succeed
Woordcombinaties
claw his way back
|claw their way to the top
|claw your way out of poverty
|claw her way into the finals
|claw the team back into contention
Synoniemen
struggle (More general; does not always contain the strong image of slowly pulling yourself forward step by step.)
Antoniemen
coast (To make progress easily with little effort, the opposite of clawing your way forward.)
Thema's
work
|success
|sports
|emotions
|core_vocabulary
Definitie
To move or to become successful again by working very hard in a difficult situation.
To move forward or to obtain or regain a position, advantage, or success with great difficulty and effort, as if pulling oneself along with the hands.
ZELFSTANDIG NAAMWOORD
A2
4
Gebruikspatroon:
a crab’s claw; a lobster claw
The crab grabbed his finger with its claw.
A rák az ollójával megfogta az ujját.
She cracked open the lobster’s claws to get to the sweet meat inside.
Feltörte a homár ollóit, hogy hozzájusson a bennük lévő édeskés húshoz.
A broken claw made it hard for the crab to defend itself.
The chef arranged the lobster claws neatly on the plate.
Children watched the hermit crab wave its tiny claws in the air.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
The crab has two big claws.
A ráknak két nagy ollója van.
Be careful; the lobster claws can hurt you.
Vigyázz, a homár ollói nagyot tudnak csípni.
He likes to eat the meat from the crab’s claws.
The small crab lifted its claws when it was afraid.
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners sometimes call these parts “hands” or “arms”; use “claws” for the strong front parts that open and close.
Betekenis
pincer of crab or lobster
Woordcombinaties
crab claws
|lobster claws
|giant claw
|claw meat
|claw cracked open
Synoniemen
pincer (More technical; used in biology or for tools, not only for sea animals.)
Antoniemen
tail (Another main body part of such animals; not an opposite in meaning, but contrasts as a different part that is often mentioned with claws.)
Thema's
animals
|food
|nature
|core_vocabulary
Definitie
The hard front part of a crab or lobster that looks like a hand and can open and close.
One of the front pincer-like limbs of a crab, lobster, or similar animal, used for gripping, cutting, or defense.
ZELFSTANDIG NAAMWOORD
B1
5
Gebruikspatroon:
the claw of [tool/machine]
Use the claw of the hammer to pull the nail out of the wood.
A kalapács karmával húzd ki a szöget a fából.
The arcade game’s metal claw failed to pick up the toy.
Az ügyességi automata fémkarma nem tudta felvenni a játékot.
A mechanical claw lifted the car onto the tow truck.
The robot’s claw gently picked up the delicate glass.
He bought a claw hammer for the home repair project.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
He used the claw of the hammer to take out the nail.
A kalapács karmával húzta ki a szöget.
The machine’s claw picked up the box.
A gép fogókarma felemelte a dobozt.
The game has a small claw that tries to grab toys.
The robot has a claw instead of a hand.
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners may not know that “claw hammer” is the normal term for the common hammer with a curved back for pulling nails.
Betekenis
gripping part of tool or machine
Woordcombinaties
claw hammer
|the claw of the hammer
|mechanical claw
|claw machine
|grabber claw
Synoniemen
gripper (General word for a part that holds things; less specific in shape than “claw.”)
Antoniemen
handle (A part designed for holding the tool rather than gripping other objects.)
Thema's
tools
|technology
|work
|core_vocabulary
Definitie
The part of a tool or machine that looks like a claw and is used to hold or pull something.
A curved or forked part of a tool or machine that is used to grip, lift, or pull objects.
ZELFSTANDIG NAAMWOORD
B2
INFORMAL
6
karom
B1
Gebruikspatroon:
her long claws; his bony claws
She tapped her long red claws on the table while she waited.
Várakozás közben hosszú, vörös karmaival kopogtatott az asztalon.
His thin little claws wrapped around the remote control.
Vékony kis karmai rákulcsolódtak a távirányítóra.
Those fake claws are so long I don’t know how she types.
He reached out with his bony claws to grab the last cookie.
Her nails had grown into sharp claws over the summer break.
Voorbeelden voor taalleerders
Her nails are so long they look like claws.
Olyan hosszúak a körmei, hogy úgy néznek ki, mint a karmok.
He has cold little claws instead of warm hands.
Meleg kezek helyett hideg kis karmai vannak.
She showed off her new red claws to her friends.
His old hands were thin and looked like claws.
Veelgemaakte fout:
Learners may not realize that calling someone’s nails or hands “claws” is usually negative or joking, not a neutral description.
Betekenis
long sharp fingernail or hand
Woordcombinaties
long claws
|painted claws
|her red claws
|his bony claws
|nails like claws
Synoniemen
nail (Neutral, normal word; “claw” sounds more negative or playful.)
Antoniemen
soft hands (Describes gentle, smooth hands, the opposite image of hard, claw-like hands or nails.)
Thema's
body
|appearance
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Definitie
An informal word for a person’s nail or hand when it looks long, thin, and sharp, like an animal’s claw.
A human fingernail or hand, especially when long, thin, and sharp, compared to an animal’s claw, often used humorously or insultingly.
Grammatica
Lemmavorm
claw
IPA
GB/klˈɔ/
US/klˈɔ/
Lettergrepen en klemtoon
claw (1 lettergreep)
Stress on 1st syllable (claw)
Woordvormen
Noun
- Base: claw
- Plural: claws
Verb
- Base: claw
- 3rd Person Singular: claws
- Present Participle: clawing
- Past: clawed
Woordfamilie
Forms
claws
noun
clawing
verb
clawed
verb
Related words
talon
noun
paw
noun A2
Advanced or less common
declaw
verb
Uitdrukkingen
claw back
1/klˈɔ bˈæk/
phrasal verb
recover money or advantage
To get back money, power, or another benefit that you lost or gave up, usually slowly or with difficulty.
Voorbeelden
- The government plans to claw back overpaid benefits from taxpayers.
- The company is trying to claw back market share from its competitors.
- New budget cuts will claw back some of the extra funding schools received last year.
claw hand
1/klˈɔ hˈænd/
fixed phrase
technical
hand with fingers stuck like claws
A medical problem where the fingers are bent and cannot straighten, so the hand looks like a claw.
Voorbeelden
- Long-term nerve damage had left him with a claw hand.
- The doctor explained exercises that might improve her claw hand.
- Claw hand can result from injury to certain nerves in the arm.
claw your way back
1/klˈɔ jˈʊɹ wˈeɪ bˈæk/
idiom
return to success with effort
To slowly return to a good situation or position after a problem or loss, by working very hard.
Voorbeelden
- After losing his job, he clawed his way back to a stable career.
- The team clawed its way back from the bottom of the league to finish in second place.
- She clawed her way back to fitness after the accident.
claw your way to the top
1/klˈɔ jˈʊɹ wˈeɪ tə ðə tˈɑp/
idiom
reach top position by hard effort
To reach a very high position in work or society by trying extremely hard, sometimes in a tough or aggressive way.
Voorbeelden
- He clawed his way to the top of the company in just ten years.
- Many people claw their way to the top and then forget where they came from.
- She clawed her way to the top of the music industry despite many rejections.
get your claws into someone
1/ɡˈɛt jˈʊɹ klˈɔz ˈɪntu sˈʌmwˌʌn/
idiom
informal
take hold or control of someone
To get control or strong influence over someone, and not want to lose that control.
Voorbeelden
- Once the agent got her claws into the young actor, she controlled every part of his career.
- He’s afraid his ex will get her claws into him again.
- They warned him not to let the gang get their claws into his younger brother.
get your claws into something
1/ɡˈɛt jˈʊɹ klˈɔz ˈɪntu sˈʌmθɪŋ/
idiom
informal
take and hold something firmly
To get something you really want and hold onto it tightly, not wanting to give it up.
Voorbeelden
- The company was desperate to get its claws into the new technology.
- She finally got her claws into a permanent job.
- Investors are trying to get their claws into the fast-growing start-up.
have your claws out
1/hˈæv jˈʊɹ klˈɔz ˈaʊt/
idiom
informal
be ready to attack or criticize
To be in a mood where you are ready to say unkind things or attack someone strongly with words.
Voorbeelden
- She always has her claws out when his name comes up.
- The journalists had their claws out at the press conference.
- You don’t need to have your claws out; I’m just asking a question.
the claws come out
1/ðə klˈɔz kˈʌm ˈaʊt/
idiom
informal
people start acting aggressive
Used when people, often women, suddenly start to fight, say mean things, or act very angry with each other.
Voorbeelden
- The claws came out as soon as they started talking about the promotion.
- You could feel the claws come out when the two rivals met on stage.
- It was all polite at first, and then the claws came out during the debate.