climbing

climbing — adjective

1. Used to describe a plant whose stems reach upward by attaching to walls, fences,

1.adjectiveB2
Definition

Used to describe a plant whose stems reach upward by attaching to walls, fences, trees, or other tall objects nearby.

Example

Heloísa planted a climbing rose beside the wooden fence in her back garden.

before noun: climbing + plant noun

Thick climbing ivy covered most of the old brick wall behind the church.

Common collocations
  • climbing rose
  • climbing plant
  • climbing ivy
  • climbing bean
  • climbing vine
Synonyms
  • creeping

    creeping plants spread along the ground; climbing plants go upward

  • trailing

    trailing plants hang downward rather than attaching upward

Grammar Patterns

climbing + plant noun

Usage Note

Almost always sits directly before a plant noun (rose, ivy, bean, vine). It is rarely used after the verb 'be'.

Common Mistakes

This rose is climbing.
This is a climbing rose.
as a plant descriptor, 'climbing' goes before the noun, not after 'be'.

2. Connected with the sport in which people climb up rocks, mountains, or indoor wa

2.adjectiveB1
Definition

Connected with the sport in which people climb up rocks, mountains, or indoor walls; used to describe equipment, clothing, or places used for that sport.

Example

Faisal bought a new pair of climbing shoes before his trip to the Dolomites.

before noun: climbing + equipment noun

The new climbing gym in Taipei has walls of three different heights.

before noun: climbing + place noun

Common collocations
  • climbing shoes
  • climbing rope
  • climbing wall
  • climbing gym
  • climbing helmet
  • climbing harness
Synonyms
  • mountaineering

    more formal; refers specifically to mountains, not indoor walls

Grammar Patterns

climbing + sport-equipment noun

Usage Note

Sits before nouns naming gear (rope, shoes, helmet, harness) or venues (gym, wall, route). Distinguish from sense 1 by the noun: gear/place noun then this sense; plant noun then sense 1.

climbing — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words involve moving over uneven outdoor ground, but they differ sharply in scale and skill. 'Climbing' is the broad everyday term for going up rocks, mountains, or indoor walls, often using hands as well as feet. 'Mountaineering' is more formal and narrower: it suggests long, demanding trips up real mountains, often with ropes, snow, and overnight stays. 'Bouldering' is a sub-type of climbing done on short walls or rocks without ropes, with crash mats below. 'Hiking', by contrast, means walking long distances on trails — feet only, no climbing gear. So a learner might say, 'On Saturday we went hiking up the hill, then bouldering at the gym, while my cousin is away mountaineering in Nepal — he loves climbing of every kind.'

climbing ↗mountaineeringboulderinghiking ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • climbing wall
  • climbing shoes
  • climbing rope
  • climbing helmet
  • climbing harness
  • climbing gym
  • climbing route
  • climbing plant
  • climbing rose

Phrases

  • go climbing
  • rock climbing
  • indoor climbing
  • ice climbing
  • free climbing
  • climbing competition

Prepositions

  • go climbing in
  • go climbing on
  • climbing up

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishModern English

Formed from the verb 'climb' plus the '-ing' ending that turns verbs into nouns and adjectives. 'Climb' itself comes from Old English 'climban', meaning to rise by gripping or holding. The plant-related sense (a plant that climbs) is recorded from at least the 17th century; the sport sense became common in English from the late 19th century alongside the rise of mountaineering as a leisure activity in the European Alps.