TOP

Definition of climb verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

climb

verb
 
/klaɪm/
 
/klaɪm/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they climb
 
/klaɪm/
 
/klaɪm/
he / she / it climbs
 
/klaɪmz/
 
/klaɪmz/
past simple climbed
 
/klaɪmd/
 
/klaɪmd/
past participle climbed
 
/klaɪmd/
 
/klaɪmd/
-ing form climbing
 
/ˈklaɪmɪŋ/
 
/ˈklaɪmɪŋ/
Idioms Phrasal Verbs
jump to other results

    go up

  1. [transitive, intransitive] to go up something towards the top
    • climb (up) something to climb a mountain/tree
    • She climbed up the stairs.
    • to climb a ladder/wall
    • They climbed the steps to the front door.
    • The car slowly climbed the hill.
    • The boarding party began to climb up the side of the ship.
    • climb (up) As they climbed higher, the air became cooler.
    • You can climb to the top of the tower and take in the view.
    • He climbed up and inspected the damage to the roof.
    Extra Examples
    • Don't climb too high.
    • He climbed slowly up the ladder.
    • We climbed right to the top of the mountain.
    • I loved climbing trees when I was a kid.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • high
    • slowly
    • nimbly
    preposition
    • up
    • onto
    • into
    phrases
    • climb to the top
    • go climbing
    See full entry
  2. go climbing
    to go up mountains or climb rocks as a hobby or sport
    • He likes to go climbing most weekends.
    • He goes climbing every summer.
    Topics Sports: other sportsa2, Hobbiesa2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • high
    • slowly
    • nimbly
    preposition
    • up
    • onto
    • into
    phrases
    • climb to the top
    • go climbing
    See full entry
  3. go through/down/over

  4. [intransitive] climb + adv./prep. to move somewhere, especially with difficulty or effort, using hands as well as feet
    • I climbed through the window.
    • She opened the passenger door and climbed in.
    • The boys climbed over the wall.
    • Sue climbed into bed.
    • Can you climb down?
    • He finished digging the grave and climbed out.
    Extra Examples
    • Two boys climbed onto the roof.
    • He climbed into the truck and drove off.
    • I climbed over the fence into the meadow.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • high
    • slowly
    • nimbly
    preposition
    • up
    • onto
    • into
    phrases
    • climb to the top
    • go climbing
    See full entry
  5. increase

  6. [intransitive] (of temperature, a country’s money, etc.) to increase in value or amount
    • The death toll from the devastating floods continues to climb.
    • climb + adv./prep. Interest rates climbed to 8 per cent.
    • The temperature had climbed above 30 degrees.
    • Prices have climbed sharply in recent months.
    • The dollar has been climbing all week.
    • Membership is climbing steadily.
    Extra Examples
    • The vaccination rate began to climb slowly.
    • Unemployment has climbed from two million to three million.
    • Unemployment is still climbing.
    Topics Change, cause and effectb2, Moneyb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • quickly
    • rapidly
    • sharply
    preposition
    • above
    • from
    • to
    See full entry
  7. improve position/status

  8. [intransitive, transitive] to move to a higher position in a chart, table, society or organization
    • climb to something The team has now climbed to fourth in the league.
    • In a few years he had climbed to the top of his profession.
    • climb something The song also climbed the charts in North America.
    • (figurative) to climb the corporate/career ladder
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • high
    • slowly
    • nimbly
    preposition
    • up
    • onto
    • into
    phrases
    • climb to the top
    • go climbing
    See full entry
  9. aircraft/sun, etc.

  10. [intransitive] to go higher in the sky
    • The plane climbed to 33 000 feet.
    • The sun climbed higher in the sky.
    • The plane took off and climbed to 20 000 feet.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • gradually
    • slowly
    • steadily
    verb + climb
    • begin to
    preposition
    • from
    • to
    • up
    See full entry
  11. slope up

  12. [intransitive] to slope upwards
    • From here the path climbs steeply to the summit.
    Extra Examples
    • The path began to climb quite steeply.
    • The path climbs steeply up the mountainside.
    • The road gradually climbs up from the town.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • gradually
    • slowly
    • steadily
    verb + climb
    • begin to
    preposition
    • from
    • to
    • up
    See full entry
  13. of plants

  14. [intransitive] to grow up a wall or frame
    • a climbing rose
  15. Word OriginOld English climban, of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch and German klimmen, also to cleave ‘to stick close to something’.
See climb in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee climb in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
dizzy
adjective
 
 
From the Topic
Health problems
C1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day