Meaning & use
declawing
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“declawing” is a form of “declaw”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
noununcountable
The practice of surgically removing the claws of an animal, especially a cat.
Grammar: Used as a noun without 'a' or a plural: 'Declawing is controversial.'
Patterns
- declawing of cats
- ban declawing
- oppose declawing
Many countries have banned the declawing of cats because it causes lasting pain.
The vet refused to perform declawing on ethical grounds.
Animal rights groups campaign against declawing.
verbtransitive
Present participle of 'declaw': removing the claws of an animal surgically.
Grammar: Used after 'be' or as a participle: 'They are declawing the cat.'
Patterns
- be declawing something
- declawing a cat
She is declawing her cat despite the vet's warnings.
The clinic stopped declawing animals last year.
Word forms
| base form | declaw |
|---|---|
| third person singular | declaws |
| past tense | declawed |
| past participle | declawed |
| present participle | declawing |
Common combinations
- declawing of cats
- The declawing of cats is illegal in many places.
- ban declawing
- Some cities have voted to ban declawing.
- oppose declawing
- Many veterinarians oppose declawing as a routine procedure.
- declawing procedure
- The declawing procedure involves removing part of the bone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- onychectomy
- The medical term for declawing; it is used in veterinary contexts and sounds more technical.
Word family
- declaw verb
- To remove the claws of an animal.
- declawed adjective
- Having had the claws removed.
Commonly confused: declawing or defanging?
declawing vs defanging
This means removing the fangs or venomous teeth of an animal, not the claws.
Practice
Many animal welfare groups want to ______ declawing because it is painful for cats.
Choose one answer.
After 'want to' we need the base form 'ban'. 'Banned' is past tense, 'banning' is a participle, and 'bans' is third person singular, none of which fit after 'to'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “declawing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.