logger

¹ American  

[law-ger, log-er] / ˈlɔ gər, ˈlɒg ər /

noun

1. a person whose work is logging; lumberjack.

2. a tractor used in logging.

3. a machine for loading logs.

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logger ² American  

[law-ger, log-er] / ˈlɔ gər, ˈlɒg ər /

adjective

Scot.

1. heavy or thick.

2. thick-headed; stupid.

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logger British  

/ ˈlɒɡə /

noun

1. another word for lumberjack

2. a tractor or crane for handling logs

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Etymology

Origin of logger¹

An Americanism dating back to 1725–35; log ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of logger²

First recorded in 1665–75; back formation from loggerhead

Explanation

A logger is a person whose job involves cutting down trees. If you like using a chain saw, then maybe you should pursue a career as a logger. If you're a logger, you'll use chain saws to fell trees or split logs into pieces; operate a skidder, which pulls large logs out of the forest; load logs onto trucks, or drive trucks loaded with timber. There's also a different kind of logger in the world of computers, a program that makes it easy to keep a list or record of things. This is closer to the original meaning of logger, "one who enters data in a log."

Example Sentences

The saga about an early 1900s logger set against the developing Pacific Northwest shows how things always change, even when you don’t want them to.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 26, 2025

“There’s enough logs for us to cut for 1,000 years,” says one cocky young logger, who’s rebuffed by the crusty veteran Arn Peeples, played by a memorable William H. Macy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025

A reporter investigating clandestine timber-harvesting in a Mexican forest encounters a masked logger brandishing a chain saw.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2024

“Sometimes you have no other work option and you have to do this out of necessity,” the logger explained.

From New York Times • Jun. 3, 2024

James Scymanky, a logger who had been working in the area around Mount St. Helens during the eruption, had managed to survive while the three partners who were with him that morning died.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone