Meaning & use
climb
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Meanings
verbtransitive or intransitive
To go up something such as a hill, tree or ladder, usually using your hands as well as your feet.
Grammar: Can take an object (climb a tree) or not (climb up to the roof). The b is silent.
Patterns
- climb something
- climb up/down something
- climb to something
The children climbed the tree to get a better view.
We climbed for three hours before reaching the summit.
He climbed up the ladder to fix the roof.
verbintransitivefigurative
To rise steadily in amount, level or position.
Grammar: Often followed by to, by or above: prices climbed by ten percent.
Patterns
- climb to something
- climb by something
Temperatures climbed above thirty degrees by noon.
House prices have climbed steadily this year.
She climbed quickly through the ranks of the company.
verbintransitive
To get into or out of a vehicle or confined space, especially with some effort.
Grammar: Used with into, out of, over or through: climb into the car.
Patterns
- climb into something
- climb out of something
She climbed into the back of the truck.
He climbed out of bed reluctantly.
The cat climbed over the fence.
nouncountable
An act of climbing or a slope or route that must be climbed.
Grammar: Usually a climb: it was a long climb.
Patterns
- a climb to something
It was a steep climb to the lighthouse.
The climb up the stairs left her out of breath.
His climb to the top of the company took twenty years.
Word forms
| third person singular | climbs |
|---|---|
| past tense | climbed |
| past participle | climbed |
| -ing form | climbing |
Common combinations
- climb a mountain
- They plan to climb a mountain this summer.
- climb the stairs
- He climbed the stairs two at a time.
- climb steadily
- The plane climbed steadily after takeoff.
- climb the corporate ladder
- She climbed the corporate ladder to become director.
- climb down
- The boy climbed down from the wall.
- climb over
- They climbed over the gate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- ascend
- Ascend is more formal and need not involve hands or effort, while climb often suggests physical work.
- scale
- Scale means to climb something steep or tall, such as a wall, and suggests a challenge.
- mount
- Mount means to go up onto something such as a horse or stairs, and is more formal than climb.
- scramble
- Scramble means to climb quickly and awkwardly using hands and feet, and it suggests less control than climb.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: climb or clime?
climb vs clime
Clime sounds exactly the same but is a literary word for climate or region, as in warmer climes.
Practice
Which sentence uses climb in a figurative sense?
Choose one answer.
In the third sentence climb means to rise in amount. The others describe a literal movement up or down.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “climb”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.