declaw
verb
de·claw
| \ (ˌ)dē-ˈklȯ
\
\
declawed;
declawing;
declaws
Definition of declaw
: to remove the claws of (an animal, such as a cat) surgically
Examples of declaw in a Sentence
We had our cats declawed.
Recent Examples on the Web
He had been declawed and displayed at a North Carolina roadside zoo where animals were kept in concrete pits. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Albert, the grizzly bear who loved PB&J sandwiches, has died," 30 Aug. 2019 Right after being declawed, the cat will be in pain. — Ilana Halperin, The Conversation, "Curious Kids: How are cats declawed, and is it painful?," 30 July 2019 But declawing is an invasive, painful operation that removes individual toe bones from the cat’s paws, Dr. Jefferson said. — Elisha Brown, New York Times, "New York State Bans Cat Declawing," 22 July 2019 Editor's note: This story was updated on July 10 to include more information about the New York cat declawing ban. — Natasha Daly, National Geographic, "States across U.S. are taking bold steps toward protecting animals," 10 July 2019 Bruce Many, Eckert Time for Colorado to ban cat declawing statewide On July 22, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill to ban declawing of domestic cats in the entire state. — Dp Opinion, The Denver Post, "Letters: Cost of adding rail lines north not warranted; No on Referendum CC; Time for Colorado to ban cat declawing statewide (7/29/19)," 29 July 2019 The anti-declawing measure, which took effect immediately, makes exceptions only for necessary medical purposes. — Mac Vanrenterghem, Detroit Free Press, "Declawing cats: New York just banned the practice. Should Michigan be next?," 25 July 2019 Lawmakers are weighing a ban on the practice of declawing cats. — USA TODAY, "Titanic auction, Legos, mighty Mississippi: News from around our 50 states," 22 July 2019 Supported by many, the ban has also seen opposition from those who say the decision to declaw should be made by a vet New York is on its way to becoming the first state in the U.S. to ban cat owners from declawing their pets. — Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, "New York Could Become the First State to Ban Pet Owners from Declawing Their Cats," 4 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'declaw.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for declaw
declaw
verb
English Language Learners Definition of declaw
: to permanently remove the claws of (a cat)
See the full definition for declaw in the English Language Learners Dictionary
declaw
transitive verb
de·claw
| \ (ˌ)dē-ˈklȯ
\
\
Medical Definition of declaw
: to remove the claws of (a cat) usually with the nail matrix and all or part of the last bone of the toe