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
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 Then Peso climbs into a black van, heading toward downtown L.A. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2024 After no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the Saturday, March 9, drawing, the grand prize climbed to $532 million for Monday, March 11. Drew Dawson, Journal Sentinel, 11 Mar. 2024 Median compensation packages for AI research scientists at Meta climbed from $256,000 in 2020 to $335,250 in 2023, according to Levels.fyi, a salary-tracking website. Gerrit De Vynck, Washington Post, 10 Mar. 2024 Its deficiency findings have been steadily climbing ever since Williams took over. Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 9 Mar. 2024 Last year, the Fujisan World Cultural Heritage Council encouraged travelers intent on climbing to avoid the weekends and instead come during less crowded times like on weekdays or after sunrise. Alison Fox, Travel + Leisure, 7 Mar. 2024 Looking ahead, Kroger forecast its identical-store sales would climb 0.25% to 1.75% in 2024 and its annual earnings per share before one-time items would range between $4.30 and $4.50. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 My favorite thing to do is climb up four-stories and go down a 150-foot-long water slide that twists and turns down into one of the resort’s pools. Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
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 Nvidia stock had its worst day in 10 months on Friday as analysts and investors alike voiced concerns that the tech giant’s steep climb will come to an end sooner or later. Laura Bratton, Quartz, 8 Mar. 2024 Recent upgrades extending its range, a faster climb rate, enhanced safety features, and other passenger pleasers secured its place on this list. Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 7 Mar. 2024 Sporty Paradise: Camp, hike, climb glaciers, parasail, spy wildlife. Laura Manske, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 San Diego County recorded 243 TB cases in 2023, continuing a gradual upward climb from a low of 193 in 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions pushed down the incidence of most communicable disease. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 In a market with high prices, low inventory and high mortgage interest rates, no one faces a steeper uphill climb than first-time home buyers. Michael Kolomatsky, New York Times, 29 Feb. 2024 East Peak has been a lure from early in Marin’s history when people strove to make the climb to its summit and record their names on the register maintained there. Jim Holden, The Mercury News, 20 Feb. 2024 Hiking options here range from the Ala-Archa River Trail, a 7.6-mile out-and-back trail that opens into expansive views of the surrounding mountains, to a full-day climb to the foot of Ak-Sai Glacier. Laura Kiniry, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Feb. 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 18 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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