plural clawbacks
: the act or an instance of getting back money or benefits previously given out: such as
a
: the recovery of tax allowances by additional taxation
Next year sees the resumption of a 3% clawback that penalizes most upper-bracket taxpayers.—
William Baldwin
William Baldwin
b
: the reclaiming of money or benefits under special circumstances stipulated in a contract
—usually used before another noun
He suggested a clawback provision that would allow companies to demand the return of compensation tied to performance if it turned out that a company's stock performance was inflated by bad business practices or malfeasance.—Loren Steffy
Loren SteffyCriticism of the large bonuses awarded during federally funded bailouts spurred many banks to adopt clawback measures.—Joann S. Lublin et al.
Joann S. Lublin et al.
clawed back; clawing back; claws back
1
: to get back (something) usually by strenuous effort or forceful means : regain
… the street is becoming a high-profile example of how Iraqi National Guard troops … can claw back territory from insurgents.—Scott Peterson
Scott PetersonUnion activists have been knocking on members' doors, standing at the gates of steel mills and generally trying to claw back votes from 2016 …—Trip Gabriel
Trip Gabriel2
: to recover (money or benefits) especially by putting into effect additional taxation or clawback provisions
If finance ministers do approve exceptional increases for farm spending, the extra will have to be clawed back in the next two years.—The Economist
The EconomistBut unbeknownst to you, the drug actually cost only $7, and the pharmacy benefits manager claws back the extra $3.—Sydney Lupkin
Sydney LupkinExamples of clawback in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebMelissa Chan, NBC News, 2 Aug. 2024
But despite that language, no clawbacks have occurred.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 13 July 2024
Fred Imbert, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2024
So the money may have to be clawed back from Aerosmith, but initially Live Nation and Ticketmaster would be the entities refunding the money to the patrons.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 6 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clawback 
Noun
The clawbacks have thrown many veterans into sudden hardship.
—Melissa Chan, NBC News, 2 Aug. 2024
But despite that language, no clawbacks have occurred.
—Chris Isidore, CNN, 13 July 2024
Verb
However, the broad market index clawed back most of that decline by Friday, posting a weekly loss of just 0.04%.
—Fred Imbert, CNBC, 12 Aug. 2024
So the money may have to be clawed back from Aerosmith, but initially Live Nation and Ticketmaster would be the entities refunding the money to the patrons.
—Daniela Avila, Peoplemag, 6 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for clawback
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'clawback.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near clawback
Cite this Entry
“Clawback.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/clawback. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share