idiom · neutral
climb the corporate ladder
UK/klaɪm ðə ˈkɔːpərət ˈlædə/US/klaɪm ðə ˈkɔrpərət ˈlædər/CLIMB·the·COR·po·rate·LAD·der
advance to higher positions within a company
Examples
“He worked hard and gradually climbed the corporate ladder to become CEO.”
“Many people measure success by how quickly they can climb the corporate ladder.”
“In that company it's difficult to climb the corporate ladder without extra qualifications.”
Band 8 sentence
“Ambitious employees often try to climb the corporate ladder by taking on high‑profile projects and networking strategically.”
Collocations
- climb the corporate ladder quickly
- climb the corporate ladder through hard work
Common mistakes
climb corporate ladder→climb the corporate ladder
He climbed the company ladder.→He climbed the corporate ladder.
Say it for a higher band
5get promoted→6move up the ranks→7+climb the corporate ladder
Synonyms
move up the ranks
get promoted
Easily confused
move up the ranks
“After several successful projects he moved up the ranks to become senior manager.”
Related words
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In Work
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