lumber

¹

[ luhm-ber ]

noun

1. timber sawed or split into planks, boards, etc.
2. miscellaneous useless articles that are stored away.

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

[ luhm-ber ]

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.

lumber

¹

/ 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

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

/ ˈlʌmbə /

verb

1. to move awkwardly
2. an obsolete word for rumble

Derived Forms

• ˈlumberer, noun

Other Words From

• lumber·er noun
• lumber·less adjective

Word History and Origins

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”

Word History and Origins

Origin of lumber¹

C17: perhaps from a noun use of lumber ²

Origin of lumber²

C14 lomeren; perhaps related to lome lame ¹, Swedish dialect loma to move ponderously

Example Sentences

Sometimes lumbering though always well-intentioned, it’s an ode to tales of lovable, scrappy galoots who keep a glint in their pummeled eyes.

From Los Angeles Times

He also argues that it is “often the young and less well-off who are being lumbered with costs they cannot afford, in ways which are unjustified”.

From BBC

Sam Underhill replaces the injured Tom Curry and will fell South African lumber all day, even if he doesn’t offer the same turnover threat at the breakdown.

From BBC

The animal belongs to a herd of hefty herbivores who spend their days lumbering through an open landscape of conifers and gingkos, horsetails and monkey puzzle trees.

From Los Angeles Times

Then it lumbers around inside the car, raking the leather seats with its mighty claws.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

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