Meaning & use
climb the corporate ladder
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Meaning
phraseidiomfigurativebusiness
To move step by step to higher and better-paid positions within a company.
Grammar: The verb can change (climbed, climbing), but the rest of the phrase usually stays fixed.
Patterns
- climb the corporate ladder at something
- climb the corporate ladder quickly
She climbed the corporate ladder from intern to vice president in ten years.
Some people are happy in one role and have no wish to climb the corporate ladder.
Climbing the corporate ladder often means longer hours and more stress.
Word forms
| past | climbed the corporate ladder |
|---|---|
| -ing form | climbing the corporate ladder |
Common combinations
- eager to climb the corporate ladder
- He was eager to climb the corporate ladder after joining the firm.
- quickly climb the corporate ladder
- She quickly climbed the corporate ladder thanks to her results.
- desire to climb the corporate ladder
- His desire to climb the corporate ladder cost him family time.
- bottom rung of the corporate ladder
- They both started on the bottom rung of the corporate ladder.
Synonyms and how they differ
- get promoted
- Get promoted refers to one specific step up, while climbing the corporate ladder describes a long series of promotions.
- rise through the ranks
- Rise through the ranks is nearly the same and works in any organization, not only companies.
- advance
- Advance is plain and general, and it lacks the picture of a ladder with rungs.
Opposites
Word family
- corporate adjective
- relating to a large company
- corporation noun
- a large company
- ladder noun
- a set of steps for climbing
Commonly confused: climb the corporate ladder or property ladder?
climb the corporate ladder vs property ladder
The property ladder means moving from smaller to larger homes, not rising in a company.
Practice
What does it mean if someone is climbing the corporate ladder?
Choose one answer.
Climbing the corporate ladder means moving up through ranks in a company. Repairing, leaving or changing careers do not fit.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “climb the corporate ladder”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.