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

Regardless, Higgins, who runs a security firm, said unauthorized climbs pose immediate safety risks to both the climbers and people below if someone falls. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 2 July 2026

Another climber, who was not part of the woman's party, happened to be nearby and was able to help the woman, remaining with her group until responders arrived, per the Forest Service. — Daniel S. Levine, PEOPLE, 2 July 2026

Cloud cover prevented a California Highway Patrol helicopter from reaching the injured climber directly, forcing the rescue to unfold in stages. — Jasmine Baehr, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026

The Portuguese climber pushed Vingegaard all the way at last year’s Vuelta, beating him over the Angliru and only finishing a minute down on GC. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing climber

• social climber
• stair-climber

Rhymes for climber

• dimer
• eimer
• primer
• rhymer
• timer
• alzheimer
• heterodimer