climber
Americannoun
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climbers
plural
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a person or thing that climbs.
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a climbing plant.
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a device to assist in climbing, as a climbing iron.
noun
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a person or thing that climbs
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a plant that lacks rigidity and grows upwards by twining, scrambling, or clinging with tendrils and suckers
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short for social climber
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of climber
late Middle English word dating back to 1375–1425; see origin at climb, -er 1
Explanation
A climber is a person who hikes up steep, rocky mountains and hills. If you want to be a mountain climber, you should start with small ones before tackling Mount Everest. Climbers pull themselves up the steep, craggy sides of mountains or practice on rock walls at the gym. A person who aspires to belong to a fancier social group is another kind of climber: "He's hanging out with the rich kids again — I didn't realize he was such a climber." When you're talking about plants, a climber is anything vine-like that grows up structures: "That rose is a climber. It'll cover your fence by the end of the summer."
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.
See Examples For:
Chin looks to his own experience as a climber for proof that small problems add up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
Instead, King wanted to know how the more experienced climber of the group, Conrad Anker, developed the discipline to call off a failed attempt just 300 feet below the summit.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
An injured climber crawled down a portion of Mt.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
In 2023, human remains found on a glacier close to Switzerland's famed Matterhorn were confirmed to be those of a German climber who had been missing since 1986.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Basil Stag Hare, camouflage expert and foot fighter, in the lead; Jess Squirrel, champion climber and pathfinder, close behind him.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
The highly technical products are designed for climbers, but the rapid brand growth has also been fueled by “gorpcore,” a fashion trend where technical gear is worn as high-end streetwear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026
The Nepali team had been sent ahead of foreign climbers to prepare the camp, manage the route and fix ropes on the mountain.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
The climbers who'd been heading up K2 with Mingma G were unsettled, he says, and facing pressure from their families to go home.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
They didn't panic because climbers often turn off the radio to save battery life.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Twelve hundred feet above the South Col the trio of Sherpas found the incapacitated climbers on the ledge where Lopsang had left them.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
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.
