lumbering

American  

[luhm-ber-ing] / ˈlʌm bər ɪŋ /

noun

1. the trade or business of cutting and preparing lumber.

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lumbering ¹ British  

/ ˈlʌmbərɪŋ /

adjective

1. awkward in movement

2. moving with a rumbling sound

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lumbering ² British  

/ ˈlʌmbərɪŋ /

noun

1. the business or trade of cutting, transporting, preparing, or selling timber

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Other Word Forms

• lumberingness
  noun
• unlumbering
  adjective
• lumberingly
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of lumbering

First recorded in 1765–75; lumber ¹ + -ing ¹

Explanation

Someone who's lumbering moves in a heavy, ungainly way. The big, lumbering players on a football team tend to play defensive positions like lineman. You might normally skip lightly down the street, but when you're carrying two big suitcases and wearing a heavy backpack, you'll be a lumbering figure slowly making your way along the sidewalk. Your toy poodle might move easily, while your giant 150-pound Mastiff is a lumbering, drooling companion. This adjective comes from the verb lumber, from the earlier lomere, which has a Scandinavian root.

Example Sentences

Lumbering up ahead was an Iranian air force Yak-130, a Russian-made subsonic jet trainer developed in the early 1990s and first flown almost 30 years ago.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 6, 2026

Lumbering trucks, packed commuter minivans, cars and motorcycles crawl along craggy, rutted stretches bordered by concrete dividers, muddy patches and heaps of rock.

From New York Times • Sep. 28, 2023

Lumbering behind her was Duda, 40 feet high at the shoulder, thick woolly hair hanging nearly to the ground.

From The Verge • Feb. 8, 2019

Lumbering 7-foot centers jack them up like players a foot shorter.

From Washington Post • Feb. 21, 2017

Lumbering down the grassy mountainside in southwestern China—being careful not to slip—is a giant panda teddy bear.

From "Camp Panda" by Catherine Thimmesh

Related Words

• hulking
• ungainly
• unwieldy