Etymology From Middle English clymbere, clymber (“one who climbs, climber”), from climben (“to climb; to ascend, fly upward, rise; to slope upwards; to approach God in prayer; to advance; to overcome, triumph; to aspire; to be presumptuous”) + -er, -ere (suffix forming agent nouns). The English word is analysable as climb (verb) + -er (suffix forming agent nouns).
Someone or something that climbs (such as a mountain climber).
Police said evidence, including footprints, was found where they believe the climbers had begun to traverse the slopes beneath Zurbriggen Ridge.2024 December 6, James Legge, “Three climbers from the US and Canada are believed to have died in a fall on New Zealand’s highest peak”, in CNN:
Lots of pockets help with a commute, a storm hood is great if you get caught in a storm on a hike, weight and packability are essential for backpackers and if you’re a climber or biker, you’ll want a helmet-compatible hood.2025 January 3, Kai Burkhardt, “The best rain jackets of 2025, tried and tested”, in CNN:
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Biology, Botany, Natural sciences A plant such as a vine that climbs upwards as it grows by attaching itself to some support.
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A cyclist who specializes in riding especially well on steep hills or roads.
His mother was a climber, determined that her children should attend the right schools and generally succeed in what was still very much a WASP world.1977 August 20, Robert Etherington, “John Horne Burns and His Enemies”, in Gay Community News, volume 5, number 7, page 10:
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Biology, Natural sciences, Ornithology A bird that climbs, such as a parrot or woodpecker; specifically (archaic), a bird having two toes pointing forward, and two pointing backward, formerly regarded as being from the order Scansores or Zygodactyli (now obsolete as the birds formerly in this order have been reclassified into different orders); a zygodactyl.
› Something that is used for climbing.
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Canada Any structure on a playground designed to be climbed on.
If his greatest hits are museum climbers that complement the subject matter in surrounding exhibits, then "the mall jobs," he says, which are more about color and composition, "are little ditties."2016 September 28, Megan Gambino, “King of the Playground, Spencer Luckey, Builds Climbers That Are Engineering Marvels”, in Smithsonian Magazine, archived from the original on 10 Dec 2022:
Regardless of the design, the playground will include a traditional climber with a ramp, an upper-level climber, multiple climbing and balance opportunities, junior slides, two senior slides, a wheelchair accessible bouncing glider, a pull along slide, activity panels, a freestanding climber and swings.2019 May 13, “Eastview Community Park wants your input for new playground”, in Guelph Today, archived from the original on 04 Mar 2023:
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Students raced in a swarm to be the first to the top of Monterey middle school’s newest piece of playground equipment, a $50,000 climber, when principal Ken Andrews removed the yellow tape on Friday.2019 June 4, Travis Paterson, “Monterey installs playground climber to kids’ delight”, in Victoria News, archived from the original on 06 Dec 2021:
We've been working for the past year to bring an inclusive zipline and a spinning rope climber to the playground!2022 July 13, Nixon Norman, quoting Jessica Berkholtz, “Cove Universal Playground receives exciting and inclusive new additions”, in WZDX, archived from the original on 11 Aug 2022:
The new playground, which is made of wood, features a climber, swings, a sand play area with a play hut and digging toys.2022 September 26, “New playground installed at Errington Community Park”, in CHEK News, archived from the original on 07 Oct 2022:
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Climbing, Hobbies, Lifestyle, Sports Synonym of climbing iron (“a kind of crampon attached to the shoe to aid with climbing”).
Etymology From climb + -er (frequentative suffix); or a blend of climb + clamber.
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Obsolete To ascend or mount with effort; to clamber, to climb.
Stick plentie of bows among runciuall pease / to climber thereon, and to branch at their ease.1878, Thomas Tusser, “Februaries Husbandrie”, in Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], →OCLC; republished as W[illiam] Payne, Sidney J[ohn Hervon] Herrtage, editors, Five Hundred Pointes of Good Husbandrie. […], London: Published for the English Dialect Society by Trübner & Co., […], 1878, →OCLC, stanza 12, page 89: