clamber

American  

[klam-ber, klam-er] / ˈklæm bər, ˈklæm ər /

verb (used with or without object)

1. to climb, using both feet and hands; climb with effort or difficulty.

---

noun

1. an act or instance of clambering.

clamber British  

/ ˈklæmbə /

verb

1. to climb (something) awkwardly, esp by using both hands and feet

---

noun

1. a climb performed in this manner

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

Example Sentences

"Five more minutes, and I would have left you," the pilot tells the reporters as they clamber back in, the chopper stuttering up and banking over the town's remains.

From Barron's

Coughing and spitting on the floor, Kolya clambered to his feet with difficulty.

From Barron's

Australia, who recovered from 12 points down to win this fixture last autumn and clambered back from 22 points adrift to beat world champions South Africa in August, hung tough under pressure, however.

From BBC

A hiker clambers across a scorched landscape of ash, his footsteps crunching on charred earth as he peers over a ridge at a burn scar pocked with blackened stumps.

From Los Angeles Times

As more people clambered onboard, she became trapped beneath her father's legs and suffocated in the dark, along with four other people.

From BBC

Related Words

• climb