climb

1 of 2

verb

climbed; climbing; climbs

intransitive verb

1
a
: to go upward with gradual or continuous progress : rise, ascend
watching the smoke climb
b
: to increase gradually
prices are continuing to climb
c
: to slope upward
a climbing path
2
a
: to go upward or raise oneself especially by grasping or clutching with the hands
climbed aboard the train
b
of a plant : to ascend in growth (as by twining)
Ivy is climbing up the walls of the old building.
3
: to go about or down usually by grasping or holding with the hands
climb down the ladder
4
: to get into or out of clothing usually with some haste or effort
the firefighters climbed into their clothes

transitive verb

1
: to go upward on or along, to the top of, or over
climb a hill
2
: to draw or pull oneself up, over, or to the top of by using hands and feet
children climbing the tree
3
: to grow up or over
ivy climbing the wall
climbable adjective

climb

2 of 2

noun

1
: a place where climbing is necessary to progress
steep climbs
2
: the act or an instance of climbing : rise, ascent
It's a 20-minute climb to the ridge from here.

Examples of climb in a Sentence

Verb He dreams of climbing Kilimanjaro. It took them six days to climb the mountain. She has climbed seriously for several years now. The actors were climbing down from the stage. He climbed over the fence. The passengers of the sailboat climbed aboard. The pilot climbed into the cockpit. I think she climbed in through the window. He climbed out of the car with a box in his hands. Noun It's a 20-minute climb to the ridge from here. He's planning to attempt one of the most difficult climbs in South America this summer. The book made a rapid climb to the top of the best-seller list.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
The number of referrals the team has made to outside organizations has climbed steadily. Ron Wood, arkansasonline.com, 23 Mar. 2024 Young aspirants populate the hipster Northeast, writers cavort in Silver Lake and Los Feliz, and actors climb the hills of Hollywood. Boris Kachka, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024 In Los Angeles, antisemitic hate crimes rose 48% in 2023 and anti-Muslim hate crimes climbed 40%, according to the report. Bill Hutchinson, ABC News, 22 Mar. 2024 The count climbs up again in the winter as mountain cedar trees begin to pollinate. Tiffani Jackson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 22 Mar. 2024 Shares opened at $47 and climbed as high as $57.80 apiece (up 70%), before closing at $50.44 during regular trading to stand at a market cap of about $9.5 billion. Todd Spangler, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 If no one wins the next Mega Millions drawing on Friday, the jackpot could soon eclipse the $1 billion mark and climb the record books as one of the largest jackpots in the game's history. Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 21 Mar. 2024 Pillsbury thought of his own recent experience climbing a temple in a remote site called Edzná, also on the route of El Tren Maya. Matthew Pillsbury Nicholas Casey, New York Times, 21 Mar. 2024 After bottoming at $3.07 a gallon in mid-January, the national average climbed to $3.40 a gallon on Friday, according to AAA. Matt Egan, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
Noun
Boomers and Gen Xers already report difficulty in outliving their savings, and young adults are navigating the same uphill climb but without the safety of a pension or guarantee of social security still being around. Chloe Berger, Fortune, 23 Mar. 2024 Rising shelter costs and a sharp climb in gas prices together contributed to 60% of the monthly jump in prices last month, according to CPI. Bryan Mena, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 Some people recommend putting petroleum jelly around the edge of the moat or bowl, but the first ants become mired in the goo, and those behind climb on their bodies to reach the food. Joan Morris, The Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2024 Slowly, the formidable climb for a team with a losing record to keep playing deeper into March became too steep. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 But it’s been on a slow, steady climb in more recent months. Michael Foster, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024 Federal officials have voiced growing concern in recent weeks over the climb in measles cases, which come as vaccination coverage has declined in many parts of the country. Alexander Tin, CBS News, 1 Mar. 2024 Directed by Deborah Riley Draper, James Brown: Say It Loud presents an unvarnished look at Brown’s uphill climb from seventh grade dropout, shoeshine boy and buck dancer to soul/funk pioneer, business mogul and civil rights activist. Gail Mitchell, Billboard, 20 Feb. 2024 The start of 2024 continued that steady climb, with 439,354 total passengers, up 5.5% from 2023’s January. David Clarey, Journal Sentinel, 12 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'climb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English climban; probably akin to Old English clifian to adhere — more at cleave

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

circa 1577, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of climb was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near climb

Cite this Entry

“Climb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climb. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

climb

1 of 2 verb
1
a
: to rise gradually to a higher point
climb from poverty to wealth
b
: to slope upward
the road climbs steeply to the summit
2
a
: to go up or down often with the help of the hands in holding or pulling
b
: to go upward in growing (as by winding around something)
a climbing vine
climbable adjective
climber
-mər
noun

climb

2 of 2 noun
1
: a place where climbing is necessary
2
: the act of climbing

More from Merriam-Webster on climb

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