climber

noun

climb·​er ˈklī-mər 

plural climbers

1

a

: a person or animal that climbs

a tree climber

a bicyclist who's an excellent climber

a mountain climber

We also teach how to handle a rope and how to belay another climber to protect them if they fall.

—Lou Whittaker

see also rock climber

b

: a climbing plant

ivy and other climbers

Owing to their size and abundance, climbing plants, especially the large woody climbers or lianes, are one of the most impressive features of the Tropical Rain forest.

—P. W. Richards

2

: social climber

Examples of climber in a Sentence

Chimpanzees are excellent climbers and spend a lot of their lives in trees.

climbers like clematis and ivy

Recent Examples on the Web

The ranger and injured climber were brought to a flat glacier staging area and loaded onto the helicopter. —Kerry Breen, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2024

Letters from George Mallory — the British explorer from the 1920s who died trying to become the first climber to summit Mt. Everest — have been digitized and published online. —Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 24 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing climber

• social climber
• stair climber