I. climb 1 W2 /klaɪm/ BrE AmE verb
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: climban ]
1 . MOVE UP/DOWN [intransitive always + adverb/preposition, transitive] to move up, down, or across something using your feet and hands, especially when this is difficult to do:
Harry climbed the stairs.
Boys were climbing trees along the river bank.
climb up/down/along etc
The wall is too high to climb over.
They climbed up into the loft of the old barn.
2 . TEMPERATURE/PRICES ETC [intransitive] to increase in number, amount, or level SYN go up :
The temperature has climbed steadily since this morning.
Inflation climbed 2% last month.
climb to
The divorce rate had climbed to almost 30% of all marriages.
3 . WITH DIFFICULTY [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] to move into, out of, or through something slowly and awkwardly:
The bus pulled in, and we climbed aboard.
climb through/over/into etc
John climbed through the window into the kitchen.
I turned the TV on and climbed into bed.
4 . PATH/SUN/PLANE [intransitive] to move gradually to a higher position:
The roller coaster climbs 91 feet and reaches speeds of 45 miles an hour.
climb into/up etc
The path climbs high into the hills.
The plane climbed to 11,600 feet to try to get above the clouds.
5 . SPORT [intransitive and transitive] to climb mountains or rocks as a sport:
Sir Edmund Hillary was the first man to climb Mount Everest.
She loves to hike and climb.
⇨ ↑ climbing
6 . PLANT [intransitive] to grow up a wall or other structure
climbing rose/plant
7 . IN A LIST [intransitive and transitive] to move higher in a list of teams, records etc as you become more popular or successful SYN rise
climb to
The song climbed to number two in the US charts.
8 . IN YOUR LIFE/JOB [intransitive and transitive] to move to a better position in your social or professional life:
Steve climbed rapidly in the sales division.
men who climbed the career ladder in the 1980s
9 . be climbing the walls spoken to become extremely anxious, annoyed, or impatient:
If I don’t get a drink soon, I’ll be climbing the walls.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ climb to move up, down, or across something using your hands and feet:
Most kids love climbing trees.
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Several fans climbed onto the roof of the arena to get a better view.
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She climbed down the ladder.
▪ ascend formal to climb up something:
He began to ascend the narrow winding staircase.
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the first man to ascend Mount Everest
▪ go up to climb up something such as a slope or stairs:
He went up the steps to the platform.
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Sonia was quiet as they went up the hill.
▪ scale formal to climb to the top of something such as a high wall or ↑ fence :
Somehow the men had scaled the twenty-foot wall without setting off the alarm.
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Protestors scaled the walls of the building and hung banners.
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Rescuers had to scale a one-thousand-foot cliff before they could reach the injured climber.
▪ clamber to climb somewhere with difficulty, using your hands to help you:
At last we saw the two girls clambering down the slope to safety.
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Everyone clambered onto the back of the truck.
▪ scramble to climb somewhere quickly and with difficulty, using your hands to help you, especially when you are walking:
They scrambled up the steep rocky bank.
climb down phrasal verb British English
to admit that you were wrong, especially after being certain that you were right ⇨ climb-down
II. climb 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . MOVEMENT UPWARDS [countable usually singular] a process in which you move up towards a place, especially while using a lot of effort:
a long steady climb to the top
2 . INCREASE [countable usually singular] an increase in value or amount:
The dollar continued its climb against the yen.
climb in
a steady climb in house prices
3 . IMPROVEMENT [countable usually singular] the process of improving something, especially your professional or social position:
a slow climb out of the recession
climb to
the Labour Party’s climb to power
4 . LIST/COMPETITION [singular] a process in which someone or something reaches a higher position in a list or in a competition because of being popular or successful:
the Giants’ climb from twelfth to fifth in the league
the song’s steady climb up the charts
5 . ROCK/MOUNTAIN [countable] a steep rock, cliff, or mountain that you climb up:
one of the hardest rock climbs in the world