climber
Americannoun
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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.
Pogacar has never had a weapon like del Toro: a virtuoso climber and all-round talent who may soon collect yellow jerseys of his own.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 10, 2026
Being a climber, I have a lot of strength that oust don’t have,” Haferling said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 8, 2026
Wharton’s relentless social climber, Undine Spragg, is named after the hair product that made her father his fortune.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 19, 2026
As Thrall went down he found a struggling Polish climber, and they continued descending together.
From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026
Like a climber about to slip off an icy peak, I drove my ax into the ground.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
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.
