claimant

claimant — noun

1. a person who officially asks for money, property, a legal right, or a benefit th

1.nounB2
Definition

a person who officially asks for money, property, a legal right, or a benefit that they believe they are entitled to receive

Example

The insurance company rejected the claimant's request for accident compensation.

collocation: insurance claimant

Each claimant must provide proof of ownership before the court makes a final ruling.

formal register: court context

Common collocations
  • insurance claimant
  • claimant for damages
  • rightful claimant
  • claimant's identity
Synonyms
  • applicant

    broader term — an applicant requests consideration (e.g., for a job or loan), not necessarily a right

  • petitioner

    more formal/legal — a petitioner submits a formal written request to a court or authority

  • supplicant

    archaic and religious in tone; implies begging or humility, not used in modern legal contexts

Usage Note

Common in legal, insurance, and government-benefit contexts. The preposition for often introduces what is being claimed (e.g., a claimant for damages).

Common Mistakes

The claimant applied for a job at the bank.
The applicant applied for a job at the bank.
claimant asserts a right to something already believed to be theirs; applicant simply seeks a position or opportunity.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

While applicant, petitioner, and claimant can all describe a person who requests something, they differ in context and connotation. A claimant asserts a specific right to something they believe is already theirs — common in insurance, inheritance, and property disputes. An applicant simply asks to be considered for something (a job, a loan, a visa) without claiming prior entitlement. A petitioner submits a formal written appeal to an authority, typically a court or government body, seeking a legal remedy. Supplicant is largely archaic and carries religious connotations. For example, you file an insurance claim as a claimant, but you submit a job application as an applicant.

applicant ↗petitionersupplicant

Common collocations

Nouns

  • insurance claimant
  • claimant's identity
  • claimant's case

Phrases

  • rightful claimant
  • claimant's application

Prepositions

  • claimant for

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

From Middle English claimaunt, borrowed from Old French claimant, the present participle of claimer ('to cry out, call, claim'). This goes back to Latin clamare ('to shout, proclaim, cry out'). The legal meaning of 'a person who asserts a right' became established in the 1400s.