Definition, synonyms and related words
simple past tense and past participle of claim
"The suspect claimed he had never seen the victim before that night."
In plain English: When you claim something, you say it is yours and take possession of it.
"He claimed that he never saw the accident happen."
Usage: Use "claimed" to describe an action where someone asserted a right to something or stated that something happened, often without immediate proof. It serves as the simple past tense for situations like claiming a prize or stating that a loss occurred.
Derived from Old French clamer (to shout, cry out), it originally meant to assert or demand something loudly. The modern sense of asserting ownership developed later through the verb claim before becoming the past tense and past participle in English.