claim (something) for (oneself or something)
1. To declare something as one's property or jurisdiction. You can't have his potato chips—I already claimed them for myself! Do you think he might actually claim the throne for himself? After the battle, the victorious country claimed the contested area for itself.
2. To officially request money as repayment for damages. I can't believe he's claiming thousands of dollars for repairs when I barely dented his fender. Get our lawyer on the phone. They can't claim millions for pain and suffering when we didn't even violate the terms of our contract in the first place! A: "Wait, you're trying to claim half of the winnings for yourself?" B: "Yes, because I bought the lottery ticket!"
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
claim something for someone or something
to declare rights to or control of something for someone, or that something is the property of someone, a group, or a nation. The small country claimed the mountainous area for itself. Roger claimed all the rest of the ice cream for himself.
claim something for something
to make a claim for money in payment for damages. David claimed one thousand dollars for the damaged car. She claimed a lot of money for the amount of harm she experienced.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.