1 A2 neutral
To descend from a high place by climbing.
"He carefully climbed down from the roof, gripping the ladder tightly."
inseparable
climb down
B1 neutral inseparable intransitive
To descend from a high place; or to reverse a position or demand, especially under pressure.
In plain English
To come down from somewhere high; or to admit you were wrong and change what you said.
What does "climb down" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To withdraw from a position, demand, or claim, especially publicly and under pressure.
"After fierce opposition from MPs, the Prime Minister was forced to climb down on the proposed tax."
“
The government has been forced to climb down over its plans to cut tax credits.
— BBC News, reporting on UK tax credit policy, circa 2015
inseparable
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To descend by climbing — moving from high to low.
Actually means
To come down from somewhere high; or to admit you were wrong and change what you said.
Usage tip
The figurative sense is very common in politics and journalism. A 'climbdown' (noun) is a public reversal of a policy or position. The literal sense is transparent. The figurative sense always implies some loss of face or pressure from others.
Words that pair with "climb down"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
ladder tree wall position demand stance policy
How to conjugate "climb down"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
climb down
I/you/we/they
3rd person
climbs down
he/she/it
Past simple
climbed down
yesterday
Past participle
climbed down
have + pp
-ing form
climbing down
continuous
Hear "climb down" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "climb down" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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