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:
A well-known amateur rock climber who had set at least two known speed-climbing records at Yosemite National Park died in a climbing accident at Sequoia National Park last week.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
The start of the descent with the body would be the most difficult, Indian climber Kuntal Joisher told BBC Nepali.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
The avalanche struck on July 30, cutting off contact with the 10-member international expedition led by 43-year-old British-Nepali climber Purja on Broad Peak, one of the world's highest mountains.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The bodies of U.S. national Mallory Geis and Nadhira Alharthy, an Omani climber, were among those that had been recovered, a Pakistan minister said Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026
The odd pair was passing other people and making good time, but the arrangement—a technique for assisting a weak or injured climber known as short-roping—appeared to be hazardous and extremely uncomfortable for both parties.
From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer
The ACP said the recovered bodies of the four climbers would be returned to their families.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
The team brings together professional tree climbers, ecologists, geologists, and remote sensing specialists.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
Now, the U.S. is stepping into the ring, promoting a Freefly drone to challenge China’s lead in delivering supplies to climbers and carrying away the waste.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
The trees drew international attention in 2017, when professional climbers from 'The Tree Projects' in Australia came to Taiwan to photograph the Three Sisters in full.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 4, 2026
And while they were at it, the government ministers jacked up the permit fee once again—this time to $70,000 for up to seven climbers, plus another $10,000 for each additional climber.
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.
