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• log
  log

  noun

  a portion or length of the trunk or of a large limb of a felled tree.
• log-
  log-

  variant of logo- before a vowel.
• -log
  -log

  variant of -logue.
• log.
  log.

  abbreviation

  logic.

log

¹ American  

[lawg, log] / lɔg, lɒg /

noun

1. a portion or length of the trunk or of a large limb of a felled tree.

   Put another log on the fire.

   We dragged logs from the forest and lashed them together to make a raft.

2. something resembling a log, as in shape or weight.

   Mix the softened butter and sage together, then put it on wax paper and roll it into a log.

3. any of various records, made in rough or finished form, concerning a trip made by a ship or aircraft and dealing with particulars of navigation, weather, engine performance, discipline, and other pertinent details; logbook.

4. Nautical. any of various devices for determining the speed of a ship, such as a chip log or patent log.

5. Movies. an account describing or denoting each shot as it is taken, written down during production and referred to in editing the film.

6. a record of a machine's operation, maintenance, etc..

   The log shows the date of each inspection of the roller coaster, any problems noticed, and all repairs made.

   If using the photocopier for personal documents, please write your initials and the number of pages in the log.

7. Also called well log.  a record kept during the drilling of a well, especially of the geological formations penetrated.

8. Computers. any of various chronological records made concerning the use of a computer system, the changes made to data, etc.

9. Radio and Television. a written account of everything transmitted by a station or network.

10. Also called log of wood.  Australian Slang. a lazy, dull-witted person; fool.

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verb (used with object)

• logs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• logged,
  past participle,  past
• logging
  present participle

1. to cut (trees) into logs.

   The villagers logged pine trees for fuel.

2. to cut down the trees or timber on (land).

   We logged the entire area in a week.

3. to enter in a logbook or record; keep a record of.

   While at camp I logged each day’s events in a journal.

4. to make (a certain speed), as a ship or airplane.

   We are logging 18 knots.

5. to travel for (a certain distance or a certain amount of time), according to a record kept of one or more trips.

   We logged 30 miles the first day.

6. to amass (a certain amount of time, number of events, or the like) working in a particular field or engaging in a particular type of activity.

   She has logged 26 years of teaching experience at the college level.

   He logged 17 shows as a model before changing careers.

verb (used without object)

• logs,
  present (3rd person singular)
• logged,
  past participle,  past
• logging
  present participle

1. to cut down trees and remove them from the forest for timber.

   He logs for a living.

   The company has been logging in Oregon for decades.

verb phrase

1. log in

   1. Digital Technology. Also log on, sign on. to enter identifying data, such as a username or password, into a database, mobile device, or computer, especially a multiuser computer or a remote or networked system, so as to access and use it.

      Log in to start your work session. Log in to your account to pay your bill online.

   2. to enter or include any item of information or data in a record, account, etc..

      Once the day’s stats have been logged in, let the captain see the logbook.

2. log off / out to terminate a session.

log ² American  

[lawg, log] / lɔg, lɒg /

noun

1. Mathematics. logarithm.

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log- ³ American  

1. variant of logo- before a vowel.

   logarithm.

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-log ⁴ American  

1. variant of -logue.

   analog.

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log. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. logic.

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log ¹ British  

/ lɒɡ /

noun

1. short for logarithm

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-log ² British  

combining form

1. a US variant of -logue

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log ³ British  

/ lɒɡ /

noun

1. 1. a section of the trunk or a main branch of a tree, when stripped of branches

   2. (modifier) constructed out of logs

      a log cabin

2. 1. a detailed record of a voyage of a ship or aircraft

   2. a record of the hours flown by pilots and aircrews

   3. a book in which these records are made; logbook

3. a written record of information about transmissions kept by radio stations, amateur radio operators, etc

4. 1. a device consisting of a float with an attached line, formerly used to measure the speed of a ship See also chip log

   2. to determine a ship's speed with such a device

5. a claim for better pay and conditions presented by a trade union to an employer

6. without stirring or being disturbed (in the phrase sleep like a log )

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verb

1. (tr) to fell the trees of (a forest, area, etc) for timber

2. (tr) to saw logs from (trees)

3. (intr) to work at the felling of timber

4. (tr) to enter (a distance, event, etc) in a logbook or log

5. (tr) to record the punishment received by (a sailor) in a logbook

6. (tr) to travel (a specified distance or time) or move at (a specified speed)

log Scientific  

/ lôg /

1. A logarithm.

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log Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing log

• easy as pie (rolling off a log)
• like a bump on a log
• sleep like a log

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Usage

What does -log mean? The combining form -log is used like a suffix meaning “discourse,” either spoken or written. Discourse means "communication of thought by words." The form -log is often used in everyday and technical terms. The form -log comes from Greek -logos, meaning “word” or "discourse." To learn more about logos, you can read our entry on the English word logos here. What are variants of -log?In British English, -log is spelled with a terminal -ue, becoming -logue, as in analogue. Additional related forms include -logic and -logy. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use article on all three forms.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• loggish
  adjective
• unlogged
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• logging
  present
• logged
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• log
  simple
• logs
  simple
• have logged
  perfect
• has logged
  perfect
• am logging
  progressive
• are logging
  progressive
• is logging
  progressive
• have been logging
  perfect progressive
• has been logging
  perfect progressive

Past

• logged
  simple
• had logged
  perfect
• was logging
  progressive
• were logging
  progressive
• had been logging
  perfect progressive

Future

• will log
  simple
• will have logged
  perfect
• will be logging
  progressive
• will have been logging
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of log

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English logge, variant of lugge “pole, limb of tree”; compare obsolete logget “pole”; see lugsail

Explanation

A log is the trunk of a tree minus the branches: logging is cutting down trees. A log is also a written record of something, and logging is keeping such a record. The first type of log is a tree that's been cut down with the branches stripped. Think of a log cabin: it's made up of logs. Logging is when trees are cut down for lumber. The other type of log is some type of written record or list of messages. A ship captain keeps a log of notes on the ship's status and progress. When you make such a record, you're logging. Logging can be written or orally recorded.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

log log- log. logs logged logging

Starting at a long side, roll into a snug log.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

At the heart of the lush spread, which offers jaw-dropping mountain views, is a five-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom log home with enormous living spaces.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

They log GPS coordinates, measure the distance to the road, and use a complicated equation to estimate the density of the animals in these woods and, from that, broader population health.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

The AI company hasn’t committed to Hugging Face’s proposed remedy: that OpenAI release a full log of the rogue agents’ actions and commit $100 million of compute for the platform’s community to build cyber defenses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026

Clare nudged her with his snout until she pulled herself onto the log.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

He jerked open a log- and-barbed-wire gate that led into a pasture and motioned for me to walk through.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

The only buildings here were tiny log- and-mortar cabins, replicas of the army’s shelters.

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli

Lancelot kicked the log- thoughtfully, one arm on the mantelpiece, looking into the ashy glow.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

His education was received in a log- cabin schoolhouse.

From A Brief History of the United States by John Bach McMaster

The log- house and shanty rarely occur, having been supplanted by pretty frame houses, built in a superior style, and often painted white-lead colour or a pale pea-green.

From The Backwoods of Canada Being Letters From The Wife of an Emigrant Officer, Illustrative of the Domestic Economy of British America by Catharine Parr Strickland Traill

"You fill in the log. Clearly, they hadn't done it."

From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2025

"So the ninth time I went under and came up and grabbed a log. And that's what kept me going."

From Reuters ● Jan. 21, 2022

“I mean, that log. You know, his, whatever…we don’t even know if he’s a real lumberman or whether he’s just a guy. So, I’ll do a little digging on that and get back to you.’

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2017

They were making a noise that sounded like a rusty saw in a hickory log.*

From Time Magazine Archive

“Captain's log. Stardate 9326.5. Hog hunting is incredibly boring. I think I'll take a nap and trust in my brilliant Vulcan companion to let me know if any extremely dangerous feral hogs walk by.”

From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green

Definitely check the meeting logs of the condo association to see what special assessments it has had recently, and at what frequency.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

"It solves a lot of problems, even if it is just a simple idea like sticking a few logs into a stream," Gregory Kumar added.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

The group’s report was based on a trove of A7 files and chat logs that were released by hackers last September.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

Obediently, we scan the ends and tops of logs, looking between low scrub and patches of vivid wildflowers for a flash of stripes or a dart of movement.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

In the weeks that followed, he explained a lot of things to Elizabeth; sextants and logs, spyglasses and dividers.

From "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch" by Jean Lee Latham

Since 2024, ICE and CBP have logged around 3,350 training hours at the San Diego Regional Firearms Training Center, according to the county.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Rental services logged more than 750 million uses.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

At least, he did until June 11, when Khosla logged on to find that all the Canopy data stored with Microsoft had been deleted.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

Chiba, which sits right next to the capital city of Tokyo, has logged more than 100mm of rain per hour since Thursday afternoon, authorities say.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

While you were logged in, you could walk or run in any direction and the sphere would rotate around and beneath you, preventing you from ever touching the wall.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Plate readers logging the cars in the pickup line.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

Captive elephants, once used commonly for logging, are now used for tourism, entertainment, and religious ceremonies.

From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026

It also comes amid orders from the president to ramp up domestic logging and timber production by 25%.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Thomson Reuters TRI 11.34%increase; green up pointing triangle bumped up its revenue targets for the year after logging double-digit growth across its three big business segments in the latest quarter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

Now I've gone the full 80 kilometers, set up my solar cells for charging, and I'm logging the wattage.

From "The Martian" by Andy Weir

Related Words

• chunk
• piece
• timber
• wood