climbing the walls
idiom
informal
: feeling very anxious or frustrated because one has a lot of energy but is unable to do something he or she wants to do
Being stuck at home all weekend had me climbing the walls.
Examples of climbing the walls in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And some of the mistakes are of actual blood on his hands, and he’s got demons floating around in his soul, as well as on the ceiling or climbing the walls or whatever.
—
Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
In rehab, Herr got in trouble for, literally, climbing the walls.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Viscous Goo Image In his first New York solo show in 1991, a 23-year-old Barney presented a video of himself climbing the walls and ceiling of Gladstone Gallery (left), naked in a harness.
—M.h. Miller, New York Times, 15 May 2024
Lunches and dinners take place in the old Tonneria’s garden, with roses climbing the walls and the knockout sea views, surrounding craggy cliffs and cobbled stone beneath the table setting a rustic tone.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2023
As a kid, one day inside had been enough to send me climbing the walls, searching for anything to do.
—Kara Devlin, Longreads, 20 May 2022
Kids climbing the walls on Easter?
—Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 15 Apr. 2022
Our yen for contact and cocooning has got tactility climbing the walls.
—Kathryn O'Shea-Evans, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2021
My backyard in Atlanta currently looks more like the Florida Everglades, and my boys have started climbing the walls.
—Jennifer Gray, CNN, 20 Sep. 2021
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Demetrius Patterson, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2025
In rehab, Herr got in trouble for, literally, climbing the walls.
—Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
Viscous Goo Image In his first New York solo show in 1991, a 23-year-old Barney presented a video of himself climbing the walls and ceiling of Gladstone Gallery (left), naked in a harness.
—M.h. Miller, New York Times, 15 May 2024
Lunches and dinners take place in the old Tonneria’s garden, with roses climbing the walls and the knockout sea views, surrounding craggy cliffs and cobbled stone beneath the table setting a rustic tone.
—Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2023
As a kid, one day inside had been enough to send me climbing the walls, searching for anything to do.
—Kara Devlin, Longreads, 20 May 2022
Kids climbing the walls on Easter?
—Katie Bowlby, Country Living, 15 Apr. 2022
Our yen for contact and cocooning has got tactility climbing the walls.
—Kathryn O'Shea-Evans, WSJ, 23 Dec. 2021
My backyard in Atlanta currently looks more like the Florida Everglades, and my boys have started climbing the walls.
—Jennifer Gray, CNN, 20 Sep. 2021
Cite this Entry
“Climbing the walls.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/climbing%20the%20walls. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
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