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Glite Dictionary
to climb the corporate ladder

to climb the corporate ladder

3 4.8
To move up in a company by getting promotions and more responsibility
  • idiom
translation icon : ascender en la empresa
  • Later, she climbed the corporate ladder at Coors Brewing Company and its parent company (now MillerCoors and MolsonCoors) to become the company's first female Senior Vice President.
  • quickly climbed the corporate ladder
  • women climb the corporate ladder
  • climb the corporate ladder to become

And I started climbing the corporate ladder.

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Examples

  • That's not being political or a "kiss-up"; it's called being gracious and having decorum—two things that will help you climb the corporate ladder.

    Blog text (20)

  • This is her first job in years, and Alicia has moved fast, climbing the corporate ladder with ease.

    Blog text (5)

  • You wanna climb the corporate ladder?

    Criminal Activities (2015)

  • You are climbing the corporate ladder.

    Killer Prom (2020)

  • Time to climb the corporate ladder.

    The Fighting Temptations (2003)

  • It's a shame you gave up your attempt to climb the corporate ladder.

    Blog text (13)

  • Some of us have landed our dream jobs, and others continue to climb the corporate ladder.

    Blog text (16)

  • Glad to know I now have a blueprint for how to climb the corporate ladder if I so choose.

    Blog text (26)

  • I've made a lot of sacrifices over the past few years in order to earn a few promotions, but I've stopped climbing the corporate ladder since 2009.

    Blog text (5)

  • Many young professionals focus on networking to climb the corporate ladder more quickly.

Synonyms

to rise
vsto climb the corporate ladder
154 2.7

To move to a higher job or position

is specifically about moving up by workplace promotions
to climb
vsto climb the corporate ladder
146 2.2

Rise to a higher level, for example prices or numbers

focuses on promotion-based advancement within an organization
to move up
vsto climb the corporate ladder
43 3.2

Get a better job or higher position at work

is about gaining promotions within a company hierarchy
to ascend
vsto climb the corporate ladder
39 4.4

To move up to a more important job or position

emphasizes formal promotions within the company structure
to move up in the world
vsto climb the corporate ladder
7 4.5

To get more successful and reach a higher social or economic position

refers to career promotions inside a business rather than general success
to climb up
vsto climb the corporate ladder
5 1.6

To rise to a higher position, for example at work or on music charts

focuses on promotions and increased responsibility inside an organization

Antonyms

to remain stagnant
1 5.8

To stay the same without improving

How Senior

to promote
182 2.9
to climb the corporate ladder
3 4.8
to move up
43 2.0
low-level
25 3.3

Surface Forms

climb the corporate ladder infinitive
climbed the corporate ladder past
climbed the corporate ladder past participle
climbing the corporate ladder present participle
climbs the corporate ladder third person singular

Morphology

climb + the + corporate + ladder

The meaning 'to advance through the hierarchy of a business' is directly inferable from the parts: 'climb' (to go up), 'corporate' (company-related), and 'ladder' (a thing you climb used metaphorically for levels). The ladder-for-career-progression metaphor is common across languages and follows an obvious compositional mapping, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent words should be able to understand the phrase.

Etymology

The phrase climb the corporate ladder comes from the image of someone climbing a ladder to reach higher floors. Each rung stands for a higher job or promotion, so the phrase means 'to move up in a company'.