climb

Etymology

From Middle English climben, from Old English climban (“to climb”), from Proto-West Germanic *klimban, from Proto-Germanic *klimbaną (“to climb, go up by clinging”), believed to be a nasalised variant of Proto-Germanic *klibaną, *klibāną (“to stick, cleave”), from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to stick”). Cognate with West Frisian klimme (“to climb”), Dutch klimmen (“to climb”), German klimmen (“to climb”), Old Norse klembra (“to squeeze”), Icelandic klifra (“to climb”). Related to clamber. See also clay, glue.

verb

1. (intransitive) To ascend; rise; to go up.
   Prices climbed steeply.
   So we continue climbing to the saddle of the Kleine Scheidegg, where ahead there comes into view the wide expanse of the Grindelwald valley, backed by the snowy crown of the Wetterhorn. 1960 December, Voyageur, “The Mountain Railways of the Bernese Oberland”, in Trains Illustrated, page 752
2. (transitive) To mount; to move upwards on.
   climbing a tree
   They climbed the mountain.
   Other Hooverian devices become familiar too. Characters often have names that are so obscure they barely seem like real names (Ryle, Lowen, Chastin, Atlas, Crew) but might wind up climbing the baby name list — now you know why — in a few years’ time. 2023-07-06, Pamela Paul, “What’s the Story With Colleen Hoover?”, in The New York Times
3. (transitive) To scale; to get to the top of something.
   He is a curly-haired schoolboy barely in his teens, but 13-year-old Jordan Romero from California has become the youngest person to climb Mount Everest. May 22, 2010, David Harrison, “American boy, 13, is youngest person to climb Everest”, in Daily Telegraph online
4. (transitive) To move (especially up and down something) by gripping with the hands and using the feet.
   A priest clad in a white robe climbs the tree and with a golden sickle cuts the mistletoe, which is caught in a white cloth. 1900, James Frazer, The Golden Bough Chapter 65
   Cutter and Bolan climbed around the furniture and piled into the back of the truck. 2008, Tony Atkins, Dragonhawk - the Turning
5. (intransitive) to practise the sport of climbing
6. (intransitive) to jump high
   The defender climbed majestically at the near post to convert Johnson's corner. December 28, 2010, Paul Fletcher, “Man City 4 - 0 Aston Villa”, in BBC
   As the game moved towards injury time, the Ospreys forced a line-out which Jonathan Thomas climbed high to take. September 13, 2008, “Ospreys Glasgow Magners League”, in South Wales Evening Post
   Four minutes of stoppage time were virtually up when Ricketts climbed to head in the equaliser from substitute Nicky Southall's centre. December 29, 2001, Derick Allsop, “Bolton's nine men hit back to steal a point”, in Daily Telegraph online
7. To move to a higher position on the social ladder.
8. (botany) Of plants, to grow upwards by clinging to something.

noun

1. An act of climbing.
   Make sure that you keep checking to see that everything remains safe throughout the climb. 2007, Nigel Shepherd, Complete Guide to Rope Techniques
2. The act of getting to somewhere more elevated.
   The Mur de Péguère is a savage little climb, its last four kilometres a narrow tunnel of trees and excited spectators urging on the straining riders. July 15 2012, Richard Williams, Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track, Guardian Unlimited
   I guess the room wasn't so bad, except for the climb to get there. The stairs were destined to be a serious health hazard. 1999, B. Keith Jones, The Roomie Do Me Blues
3. An upwards struggle
   After a decade of prosperity, millions of Asians are likely to be pushed into poverty, and the climb out of poverty will stall for millions of others September 30, 1998, AP, “Worst May Lie Ahead For Asia, Report Warns”, in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel