lumber

¹ American  

[luhm-ber] / ˈlʌm bər /

noun

1. timber sawed or split into planks, boards, etc.

2. miscellaneous useless articles that are stored away.

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verb (used without object)

1. to cut timber and prepare it for market.

2. to become useless or to be stored away as useless.

verb (used with object)

1. to convert (a specified amount, area, etc.) into lumber.

   We lumbered more than a million acres last year.

2. to heap together in disorder.

3. to fill up or obstruct with miscellaneous useless articles; encumber.

lumber ² American  

[luhm-ber] / ˈlʌm bər /

verb (used without object)

1. to move clumsily or heavily, especially from great or ponderous bulk.

   overloaded wagons lumbering down the dirt road.

   Synonyms:

   plod, barge, trudge

2. to make a rumbling noise.

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lumber ¹ British  

/ ˈlʌmbə /

noun

1. 1. logs; sawn timber

   2. cut timber, esp when sawn and dressed ready for use in joinery, carpentry, etc

   3. ( as modifier )

      the lumber trade

2. 1. useless household articles that are stored away

   2. ( as modifier )

      lumber room

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verb

1. (tr) to pile together in a disorderly manner

2. (tr) to fill up or encumber with useless household articles

3. to convert (the trees) of (a forest) into marketable timber

4. informal (tr) to burden with something unpleasant, tedious, etc

5. (tr) to arrest; imprison

lumber ² British  

/ ˈlʌmbə /

verb

1. to move awkwardly

2. an obsolete word for rumble

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Other Word Forms

• lumberer
  noun
• lumberless
  adjective
• lumberly
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of lumber¹

First recorded in 1545–55; of uncertain origin; perhaps because the cut and trimmed timber was dried and seasoned in a lumber room ( def. )

Origin of lumber²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lomeren; compare dialectal Swedish lomra “to resound, roar,” loma “to walk heavily”

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Explanation

Do you move clumsily, heavily and slowly, without a shred of grace? Then it sounds like you might lumber. Sorry to hear that. Lots of other words and phrases are associated with our friend lumber. Particularly large or tall people are almost inevitably said to lumber, as the common phrase "lumbering giant," attests. You never hear of a tip-toeing giant, but some of them must. Lumberjack, meaning someone who cuts down trees, is another. Often lumber, in the sense of planks of wood, is interchangeable with the word timber.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lumber

I’ve worked at a big-box store for 14 years, mostly in the gardening and lumber departments.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

My parents ended up renting there in the 1970s because my dad got a job at the local lumber yard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

Human movement of lumber, furniture, and other wood products has also transported it far beyond its original range.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

A baseball grandstand burned down last year, and in March, a lumber mill that employed about 30 people caught fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

She lifted the tortoise from its pen and let it lumber across the animal house for exercise.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

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Related Words

• plod
• shuffle
• slog
• trudge
• trundle
• waddle

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