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claim
claim check
A ticket or receipt used to collect an item that has been deposited or is being held somewhere. Be sure to have your claim check ready or you will not be able to collect your car from the valet.
claim the moral high ground
To claim, purport, or make it appear that one's arguments, beliefs, ideas, etc., are morally superior to those espoused by others. The senator always tries to claim the moral high ground during a debate so as to shift public opinion in his favor.
claim a life
Fig. [for something] to take the life of someone. The killer tornado claimed the lives of six people at the trailer park. The athlete's life was claimed in a skiing accident.
claim something for someone or something
to declare rights to or control of something for someone, or that something is the property of someone, a group, or a nation. The small country claimed the mountainous area for itself. Roger claimed all the rest of the ice cream for himself.
claim something for something
to make a claim for money in payment for damages. David claimed one thousand dollars for the damaged car. She claimed a lot of money for the amount of harm she experienced.
equate
someone to someone else and equate something to something else to claim that someone is in some manner the same as someone else; to claim that something is in some manner the same as something else. I would equate Tom to Wallywhen it comes to native ability. You cannot equate my car to that jalopy you drive!
lay claim to something
to place a claim on something. Do you really think you can lay claim to that money after all these years? Someone came by and laid claim to the wallet you found.
someone's claim to fame
someone's reason for being well-known or famous. Her claim to fame is that she can recite the entire works of Shakespeare.
stake a claim to someone or something
Fig. to state or record one's claim on someone or something. (Alludes to marking off an area by pounding in wooden stakes.) she staked a claim to Jeff and told all her rivals to stay away. The prospector staked a claim to the gold-rich area.
stake out a claim to something
and stake out a claim on somethingto lay claim to something. The prospector staked out a claim to the promising piece of land. We staked out a claim on two seats at the side of the auditorium.
somebody's claim to fame
the reason why someone is famous
Chan's claim to fame is that he does his own stunts in his movies. Usage notes: sometimes used of places: The restaurant is Philadelphia's latest claim to fame.
stake a claim (to something)
also stake your claim (to something) to show that you believe something is yours In recent years, several big stores have staked a claim to the wealthy shoppers in this area. Stevens has staked a claim to a new brand of techno music with a series of exciting concerts.
Etymology: from the idea of marking land that is not owned by someone with stakes (pointed sticks) to show it is yours
stake a claim (to something)
to announce that something belongs to you
Every kind of group you can think of has staked a claim to space on the Internet. Usage notes: also used in the form stake your claim: He staked his claim as a liberal.
Etymology: based on the literal meaning of stake a claim (to mark with posts a piece of land belonging to the government that you claim for yourself)
somebody's claim to fame
a reason for a person or place to be well known or famous The town's main claim to fame is that the President was born here. (humorous) His only claim to fame is that he nearly met Princess Diana.
See stake a/ claimstake a/your claim
to make it clear that you want something, and that you think you deserve to get it (often + to ) Descendants of the original settlers are going to court to stake their claim to the land. In order to stake a claim for world prominence in astronomy, the university is building a huge new optical telescope.
claim check
A receipt for property that has been left or deposited, as in Give me your claim check and I'll pick up your laundry for you. This term most often refers to a receipt for such items as laundry (left for washing), clothes (for dry cleaning), a car (for servicing), or baggage (for short-term storage). [First half of 1900s]
lay claim to
Assert one's right to or ownership of, as in "What claim lays she to thee?" (Shakespeare,
The Comedy of Errors, 3:2). [Late 1500s] Also see
stake a claim.
stake a claim
Also, stake out a claim. Indicate something as one's own, as in I'm staking a claim to the drumstick, or She staked out a claim for herself in the insurance business. This term, dating from the mid-1800s, originally meant "register a claim to land by marking it with stakes." It was being used figuratively by the late 1800s.
lay claim to
To assert one's right to or ownership of.