Verb
claw back (third-person singular simple present claws back, present participle clawing back, simple past and past participle clawed back)
(transitive) To recover or retake, with great effort, something that was lost, often by a government or official agency.
I was initially refused a refund, but eventually managed to claw back part of the money.
claw-back
Acquire’s liquidators launched action in the Federal Court in May against Mr Demetriou's family trust to claw back payments made while he was a member of the company's advisory board and receiving a $900,000 annual salary. Source: Internet
A month later they had lost out on £1.6million in turnover, but were among the first businesses allowed to reopen their doors on May 13, and five weeks on Tammy said they were still trying to claw back losses. Source: Internet
Goldman will claw back $174 million in pay to past and present executives, a dramatic move that generated the most headlines related to the settlement. Source: Internet
But Lamberth’s decision also keeps alive major risks for Bolton, such as the administration’s effort to claw back proceeds from the book, including from any movie and TV rights, and other consequences for disclosing classified information. Source: Internet
Hart fought superbly up the Stelvio Pass to claw back more than 2 minutes in the overall standings. Source: Internet
I bet they claw back the 737 Max money from the dying husk of Boeing. Source: Internet