# climb

> English word · Verb · IPA /klaɪm/ · frequency rank #4,929

## Definitions
1. To ascend; rise; to go up.
2. To ascend; rise; to go up.
3. To mount; to move upwards on.
4. To scale; to get to the top of something.
5. To move (especially up and down something) by gripping with the hands and using the feet.
6. To practise the sport of climbing.
7. To jump high.
8. (botany) Of plants, to grow upwards by clinging to something.

## Etymology
From Middle English climben, from Old English climban (“to climb”), from Proto-West Germanic *klimban, from Proto-Germanic *klimbaną (“to climb, go up by clinging”), believed to be a nasalised variant of Proto-Germanic *klibaną, *klibāną (“to stick, cleave”), from Proto-Indo-European *gley- (“to stick”). Cognate with West Frisian klimme (“to climb”), Dutch klimmen (“to climb”), German klimmen (“to climb”), Old Norse klembra (“to squeeze”), Icelandic klifra (“to climb”). Related to clamber. See also clay, glue.

## Easily confused with
- **club** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-club)
- **clip** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-clip)
- **comb** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-comb)
- **crib** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-crib)
- **clit** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-clit)
- **crim** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-crim)
- **Clio** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-clio)
- **crime** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-crime)
- **clips** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-clips)
- **Clive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-clive)
- **Clint** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-clint)
- **cling** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-cling)
- **crumb** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-crumb)
- **clump** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-clump)
- **clink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-clink)
- **crimp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-crimp)
- **climbs** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-climbs)
- **climbed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-climbed)
- **climber** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/climb-vs-climber)
- **clam** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/clam-vs-climb)

## Common misspellings (8)
`cclimb`, `cilmb`, `clibm`, `climbb`, `climmb`, `cllimb`, `clmib`, `lcimb`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/climb