verb / noun
climb
KLYME/klaɪm/
To move upward to a higher level.
She climbs the rock face, gripping holds with both hands and feet.
Etymology
Old English climban already described raising oneself with hands and feet, as well as ascending more generally. The selected meaning preserves that physical action of working one’s way upward.
In context
To reach him, they would have to climb a series of vertical and overhanging cliffs in what were now gale force winds.
More examples
- Prices continued to climb throughout the summer.
- The final climb to the summit exhausted us.
- He climbed from an entry-level job to a senior position.
Forms
climb · climbs · climbed · climbing
Similar words
- rise
- Any upward movement, while climb often suggests effort or gradual progress.