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

Every year hundreds of foreign climbers come to Nepal to attempt climb the highest mountain peaks. — ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

The avalanche occurred at a base camp on Himlung Himal in Nepal, when the workers were preparing for climbers to arrive for an expedition, Reuters reported, citing Tul Singh Gurung, president of Nepal National Mountain Guide Association (NNMGA). — Madison E. Goldberg, PEOPLE, 2 Oct. 2026

Matt Hepp, an engineer and a climber who volunteers with Ouray Mountain Rescue, created a reference map that notes mile markers and some of the most notorious sections. — Peter Hessler, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

The rescue comes about a month after a California Highway Patrol helicopter rescued two climbers who became stranded near Highway 1 at Hurricane Point. — Tim Fang, CBS News, 28 Sep. 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