Meaning & use
declaw
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Meanings
verbtransitivetechnical
To remove the claws of an animal, especially a cat, by surgery.
Grammar: Takes an object: declaw a cat. Often used in the passive: The cat was declawed.
Patterns
- declaw a cat
- have a cat declawed
- be declawed
Some owners choose to declaw their cats to protect furniture, but many vets advise against it.
The procedure to declaw a cat is banned in several countries.
She adopted a cat that had already been declawed.
verbtransitivefigurative
To make someone or something less powerful or dangerous, as if removing claws.
Grammar: Used figuratively, often in political or business contexts: declaw the opposition.
Patterns
- declaw the opposition
- declaw a threat
The new law was seen as an attempt to declaw the protest movement.
The company tried to declaw its critics by offering them jobs.
Word forms
| third person singular | declaws |
|---|---|
| past tense | declawed |
| past participle | declawed |
| -ing form | declawing |
Common combinations
- declaw a cat
- Many people believe it is cruel to declaw a cat.
- declawing procedure
- The declawing procedure is illegal in some places.
- declaw the opposition
- The ruler tried to declaw the opposition before the election.
Synonyms and how they differ
- remove claws
- A literal phrase; 'declaw' is more specific and often implies surgery.
Word family
- declawed adjective
- Having had the claws removed.
- declawing noun
- The act or practice of removing claws.
Commonly confused: declaw or defang?
declaw vs defang
To remove fangs (teeth), not claws; also used figuratively.
Practice
Some animal rights groups want to make it illegal to ______ cats.
Choose one answer.
After 'to' in an infinitive, we use the base form 'declaw'. 'Declawing' is a gerund and would need a different structure, while 'declaws' and 'declawed' are finite forms that don't fit after 'to'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “declaw”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.