mountaineering
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of mountaineering
First recorded in 1795–1805; mountaineer + -ing 1
Explanation
Mountaineering is another word for the sport of mountain climbing. If high altitudes and low temperatures are your thing, you should take up mountaineering. Climbing in snowy and ice-covered places requires special equipment and extreme care, watching out for dangers like falling ice and rocks, storms, and avalanches. In some parts of the world, mountaineering is called "alpinism." Originally, the noun mountaineer was a seventeenth century word for "mountain dweller." Two hundred years later, it came to mean "mountain climber."
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 climbing boom has made mountaineering a lucrative business since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa made the first ascent in 1953.
From Barron's • May 17, 2026
"There has been a slight decrease due to the impact of flights, but mountaineering has not been affected as much as trekking," said Dambar Parajuli, president of the Expedition Operators' Association.
From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026
Members of the co-op mainly bought mountaineering equipment imported from Europe.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
In mountaineering, Whittaker was closely involved in more high-profile ventures.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026
I was surprised and concerned to see Beck, Stuart, and Lou unpacking brand-new mountaineering boots that, by their own admission, had scarcely been worn.
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.
