claw (klô)n.1. A sharp, curved, horny structure at the end of a toe of a vertebrate animal.2. a. A chela or similar pincerlike structure on the end of a limb of a crustacean or arachnid.b. One of one or more small curved structures at the tip of an appendage of an invertebrate, especially an insect or other arthropod.c. A limb terminating in such a structure.3. Something, such as the cleft end of a hammerhead, that resembles a claw.4. Botany A narrowed, stalklike basal part of a petal, sepal, or bract.tr. & intr.v. clawed, claw·ing, claws To scratch, dig, tear, or pull with the claws or fingernails.[Middle English clawe, from Old English clawu.]clawed adj.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.