1
: the foot of a quadruped (such as a lion or dog) that has claws
broadly
: the foot of an animal
2
: a human hand especially when large or clumsy
pawed; pawing; paws
1
: to touch or strike at with a paw
2
: to feel or touch clumsily, rudely, or sexually
3
: to scrape or beat with or as if with a hoof
4
: to flail at or grab for wildly
1
: to beat or scrape something with or as if with a hoof
2
: to touch or strike with a paw
3
: to feel or touch someone or something clumsily, rudely, or sexually
4
: to flail or grab wildly
5
: to search especially carelessly or roughly
pawed through the box of discount items
Examples of paw in a Sentence
Noun
The dog injured his paw.
Verb
The bull was pawing the dirt.
The celebrity couple was pawed by a mob of adoring fans.
She claims that her boss got drunk and tried to paw her at the company Christmas party.
A crowd of customers was pawing over the remaining sales items.
She pawed through her purse to find her cell phone.
Recent Examples on the Web
Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2024
These are sold as a way to keep dogs’ paws clean and dry in wet weather and cool in heat as well as to protect against glass and other debris.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2024
Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 24 July 2024
After finally being awakened by the cat’s repeated pawing around 4 a.m., officials said, the occupants recognized that a fire had started.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for paw 
Noun
Seemingly completely unphased by the presence of people, the bear, which appears to be wearing a tracking collar, adeptly uses its large paws to knock the cooler over and pull the lid open.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 14 Aug. 2024
These are sold as a way to keep dogs’ paws clean and dry in wet weather and cool in heat as well as to protect against glass and other debris.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2024
Verb
In the final picture, the Batman Returns star could be seen turning to look at Eleanor with the tendril of hair that the feline pawed free now loose by the side of her face.
—Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 24 July 2024
After finally being awakened by the cat’s repeated pawing around 4 a.m., officials said, the occupants recognized that a fire had started.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 15 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for paw
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'paw.' 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 paw
Cite this Entry
“Paw.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paw. Accessed 19 Aug. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
paw
1 of 2 noun1
: the foot of a four-footed animal (as a lion or dog) having claws
also
: the foot of an animal
2
: a human hand especially when large or clumsy
paw
2 of 2 verb1
: to touch or strike with a paw
2
: to touch or handle clumsily or rudely
pawed the merchandise
3
: to scrape or beat with or as if with a hoof
4
: to grab at wildly
5
: to search especially carelessly or roughly
pawed through the box of letters
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