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

On the French ascent to Mont Blanc’s summit alone, an average of about ten climbers a year have perished since 2018. —Paul Hockenos, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Jan. 2025

So the climbers who found the elk helped rig him up to belay the creature to the base of the wall, officials said. —Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 7 Jan. 2025

Lateral shoots: When canes on climbers are trained to grow horizontally, side shoots (laterals), grow off the main canes and produce flowers. —Rita Perwich, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2025

Crews have ended their search for three climbers from North America who vanished attempting to climb Aoraki, the tallest mountain in New Zealand, officials said. —Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 6 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing climber

• social climber
• stair climber