1 [+ obj] : to move or go up (something) using your feet and often your hands
▪ climb a ladder/tree ▪ climb the stairs 2 : to go up mountains, cliffs, etc., as a sport [+ obj] ▪ He dreams of climbing Kilimanjaro. ▪ It took them six days to climb the mountain. [no obj] ▪ She has climbed seriously for several years now. 3 always followed by an adverb or preposition [no obj] : to move yourself in a way that usually involves going up or down
▪ The actors were climbing down from the stage. ▪ He climbed over the fence. ▪ The passengers of the sailboat climbed aboard. ▪ The pilot climbed into the cockpit. ▪ I think she climbed in through the window. ▪ He climbed out of the car with a box in his hands. ▪ The players climbed into their uniforms [=put on their uniforms] and headed for the field. 4 a [no obj] : to go higher : to go upward
▪ The plane rapidly climbed up above the clouds. ▪ We watched the smoke climb [=rise] into the night sky. ▪ The trail climbs steeply as it nears the summit of the mountain.
b : to move to a higher position in a ranking or list [no obj] ▪ The book has climbed to number 2 on the bestsellers list. [+ obj] ▪ Their second album is climbing the charts.
c : to move to a social or professional position that is more respected or powerful [no obj] ▪ The book describes how the senator climbed [=rose] to power. [+ obj] ▪ He was hired right out of business school and started climbing the corporate ladder. 5 [no obj] : to increase in amount, value, or level
▪ Divorce rates have climbed in recent decades. ▪ The company's earnings have climbed 13 percent this year. ▪ The temperature keeps climbing. 6 of plants : to grow up or over something [+ obj] ▪ There is ivy climbing the walls of the old building. [no obj] ▪ a climbing plant [=a plant that attaches itself to something, such as a wall, as it grows up it]