Standard Lemma guide

crampon

noun · verb · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈkɹæmpɑn/
  • /ˈkɹæmpən/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -æmpɑn
  • CMU ARPABET: K R AE1 M P AO0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An attachment to a shoe or boot that provides traction by means of spikes for climbing or walking on slippery surfaces, especially ice.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: climbing iron, climber

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An aerial rootlet for support in climbing, as of ivy.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, botany, natural-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A heraldic figure in the form of a bar bent at the ends into the form of a hook.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: government, heraldry, hobbies, lifestyle, monarchy, nobility, politics

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To walk or climb using crampons.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

an iron spike attached to the shoe to prevent slipping on ice when walking or climbing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crampoon, climbing iron, climber

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: spike

6

noun

Meaning 6

a hinged pair of curved iron bars; used to raise heavy objects

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: crampoon

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: grapnel, grapple, grappler, grappling hook, grappling iron

History

Etymology

Borrowed from French crampon.

Across languages

Translations

30 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bashkir: тырнаҡ (tırnaq) — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Catalan: tac — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Catalan: grampó — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Chinese Mandarin: 冰爪 — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Czech: mačka — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Finnish: jäärauta — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • French: crampon — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Galician: crampón — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • German: Steigeisen — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • German: Klettereisen — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Ancient Greek: ἐγκεντρίς (enkentrís) — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Icelandic: mannbroddar — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Italian: rampone — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Japanese: アイゼン (aizen) — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Kannada: ಕೊಕ್ಕೆಯೆತ್ತಿಗೆ (kokkeyettige) — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Korean: 아이젠 (aijen) — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Macedonian: де́реза (déreza) — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Norwegian: brodd — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Polish: rak — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Portuguese: pitão — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Russian: шип (šip) — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Russian: ко́шки (kóški) — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Serbo-Croatian: dereza — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Slovak: mačky — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Spanish: taco — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Spanish: crampón — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Swedish: stegjärn — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Swedish: brodd — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Turkish: tırmanma demiri — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice
  • Turkish: krampon — attachment to a shoe used for climbing or walking on ice