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
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.
A Nepali climber dubbed the "Everest Man", Kami Rita Sherpa, scaled Mount Everest for a record 32nd time Sunday, while Lhakpa Sherpa broke her own women's record with an 11th summit.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
Lakpa Sherpa, an expedition operator and veteran climber, said airlift technology was used to support rope-fixing teams by delivering ropes, ladders, snow bars and food during critical phases.
From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026
Whittaker, who died April 7 at the age of 97, became the most celebrated American mountain climber of his era.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
A hilarious entourage attempts to fend off Théodore Pellerin’s awkward social climber with the year’s most perilous, pitfall-laden dialogue.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 10, 2026
But he was a climber, not a jumper, and I knew he could only leap from so high before his gravity-sensitive superpowers failed him.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
