clamber
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- clamberer noun
Etymology
Origin of clamber
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English clambren, equivalent to clamb- (akin to climb ) + -r- -er 6 + -en infinitive suffix
Explanation
To clamber is to climb awkwardly. Hamlet's Ophelia was said to have been clambering on a weak branch of a willow when she met her "muddy death." It's never a good idea to clamber, let alone on weak willow branches. We associate the word clamber far more often with toddlers (than Shakespearean tragedy). Toddlers are known for naturally clumsy, ill-coordinated movements we deem cute not foolish. Suitably enough, the word comes from the delightful and long obsolete Middle English word clamb, meaning the past tense of climb, a word that has all the happy logic of a toddler's imagination.
Vocabulary lists containing clamber
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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The Witch of Blackbird Pond
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Where the Red Fern Grows
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Driver Andriy, 53, is one of the first Ukrainian faces many of the freed soldiers see as they clamber onto his bus.
From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026
Those lucky enough to snap out of psychosis and regain touch with the tangible world are now building support groups online to help others clamber out.
From Slate • Feb. 2, 2026
As an oncoming train rumbled in the distance, López and her family picked up their luggage in hopes that it would stop or slow down so that they could clamber aboard.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 4, 2024
As dawn broke, the police were already moving away from the shore along with one suspected smuggler and some of the migrants who had failed to clamber aboard.
From BBC • May 1, 2024
This time, I had lengthened the fuse so he had time to clamber inside with Basil and the rest of us, all hunkered down in happy anticipation.
From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
