paw

A paw is a four-legged animal’s foot. Dogs, cats, rabbits, and bears all have paws. Sharks? Not so much.

Most paws have claws and soft pads that cushion the animal’s legs as it walks. Cats’ paws have sharp, retractable claws, while dogs have hard, dull claws that don’t retract. There are also many animals with four legs that don’t have paws, like horses and lizards. If an animal paws you, it nudges or scrapes you with its paw. If a person paws you, they use their hands clumsily, almost as if they were paws.