timber

American  

[tim-ber] / ˈtɪm bər /

noun

1. the wood of growing trees suitable for structural uses.

2. growing trees themselves.

3. wooded land.

4. wood, especially when suitable or adapted for various building purposes.

5. a single piece of wood forming part of a structure or the like.

   A timber fell from the roof.

6. Nautical. (in a ship's frame) one of the curved pieces of wood that spring upward and outward from the keel; rib.

7. personal character or quality.

   He's being talked up as presidential timber.

8. Sports. a wooden hurdle, as a gate or fence, over which a horse must jump in equestrian sports.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with timber.

2. to support with timber.

verb (used without object)

1. to fell timber, especially as an occupation.

interjection

1. a lumberjack's call to warn those in the vicinity that a cut tree is about to fall to the ground.

timber British  

/ ˈtɪmbə /

noun

1. 1. Usual US and Canadian word: lumber.  wood, esp when regarded as a construction material

   2. ( as modifier )

      a timber cottage

2. 1. trees collectively

   2. woodland

3. a piece of wood used in a structure

4. nautical a frame in a wooden vessel

5. potential material, for a post, rank, etc

   he is managerial timber

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with timbers

interjection

1. a lumberjack's shouted warning when a tree is about to fall

Usage

What does timber mean? Timber refers to wood used for building materials. Timber can be used to refer to wood at different stages of processing. Sometimes, it refers to the trees in a wooded area that will be cut for use. Other times, it means trees that have already been cut down but not yet processed into planks and other forms to build with. And other times it refers to the wood after it has been processed (a more common word for this is lumber). Timber is most commonly used as a mass noun, meaning it is a singular noun that refers to multiple things and does not get pluralized. Example: Those trucks are bringing freshly cut timber to the mill.

Other Word Forms

• timberless
  adjective
• timbery
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of timber

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English: originally, “house, building material, wood, trees”; cognate with German Zimmer “room,” Old Norse timbr “timber”; akin to Gothic timrjan “to build,” Greek démein “to build,” dómos “house,” Latin domus “house,” Slavic ( Polish ) dom, “house, home,” Sanskrit dáma- “house, building”; see dome

Explanation

Timber! That's the call of warning you hear before a tree falls. That's because those lumberjacks are going to use the tree to make timber, otherwise known as "lumber" or the wood used for construction. Timber can actually be the trees used to make or build something, or the wood that comes from those trees, which you could also call "lumber." You might think that when a pirate yells "shiver me timbers!" he's referring to his wooden peg leg. But the timbers he's talking about are actually the boards and planks used to build the frame of a ship.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

timber

Political leaders are torn by competing pressures from the timber industry, firefighter unions, businesses and a public stunned by the scale of the threat.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Carney has also imposed import taxes on several US wood products, such as plywood, and even screws used to fix timber together.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

She pestered him to manage the property for timber production and eventually he relented.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Our analysis shows that the cost of raw materials like timber, steel, plasterboard, concrete and insulation rose in line with general inflation from the 1990s until the Covid-19 pandemic, when they became harder to source.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

When, thirty minutes later, he heard the noise of distant helicopters coming from the west, he struck out away from the timber trail and into the woods.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman

Related Words

• forest
• hardwood
• log