Meaning & use
social climb
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Meanings
verbintransitivedisapproving
To try to move into a higher social class, often by befriending wealthy or influential people.
Grammar: No object; often used with 'by doing something' or 'into' a group.
Patterns
- social climb into something
- social climb by doing something
He spent years social climbing into the city's richest circles.
She was accused of social climbing just to get invitations to exclusive parties.
They social climbed by hosting dinners for influential guests.
nouncountabledisapproving
An attempt to rise to a higher social class, often seen as insincere or pushy.
Grammar: Less common than the verb; often appears as 'a social climb'.
Patterns
- a social climb
- his social climb
Her rapid social climb surprised her old friends.
The novel describes one man's social climb in nineteenth-century London.
Word forms
| third person singular | social climbs |
|---|---|
| past tense | social climbed |
| past participle | social climbed |
| -ing form | social climbing |
Common combinations
- social climb into high society
- He tried to social climb into high society through his new job.
- accuse someone of social climbing
- They accused her of social climbing when she changed her friends.
- a rapid social climb
- His rapid social climb made him many enemies.
- social climbing ambitions
- Her social climbing ambitions were obvious to everyone.
Synonyms and how they differ
- climb the social ladder
- A more neutral idiom for the same idea, without the strong suggestion of insincerity.
- network
- Means building useful contacts, often for work; it does not carry the negative idea of chasing a higher class.
Opposites
Word family
- social climber noun
- a person who tries to move into a higher social class
- social climbing noun
- the activity of trying to rise in social class
Commonly confused: social climb or climb socially?
social climb vs climb socially
This is not a standard phrase; the usual expressions are 'social climb' or 'climb the social ladder'.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'social climb' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'Social climb' is intransitive and means trying to enter a higher social class, so 'social climbed into the most exclusive circles' fits. Option 1 wrongly adds an object ('the ladder'); option 2 refers to literal climbing; option 3 uses it for academic progress, not social class.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “social climb”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.