lumber

¹ American  

[luhm-ber] / ˈlʌm bər /

noun

1. timber sawed or split into planks, boards, etc.

2. miscellaneous useless articles that are stored away.

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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 American  

[luhm-ber] / ˈlʌm bər /

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.

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lumber ¹ British  

/ 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

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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 British  

/ ˈlʌmbə /

verb

1. to move awkwardly

2. an obsolete word for rumble

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Other Word Forms

• lumberer noun
• lumberless adjective
• lumberly adjective

Etymology

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”

Explanation

Do you move clumsily, heavily and slowly, without a shred of grace? Then it sounds like you might lumber. Sorry to hear that. Lots of other words and phrases are associated with our friend lumber. Particularly large or tall people are almost inevitably said to lumber, as the common phrase "lumbering giant," attests. You never hear of a tip-toeing giant, but some of them must. Lumberjack, meaning someone who cuts down trees, is another. Often lumber, in the sense of planks of wood, is interchangeable with the word timber.

Example Sentences

The Seattle company outlined plans to boost annual profits by $1 billion—roughly double 2025’s—by the end of the decade, independent of any increase in lumber prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

Weyerhaeuser is pursuing autonomous logging equipment and hopes to double its profits by 2030 independent of any increase in lumber prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026

They do not distinguish between natural wood and structural lumber, which is why they are a persistent concern in places such as California and Florida, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico.

From Science Daily • Apr. 20, 2026

If I can compare it to a fire, there were several pieces of wood and now there is gasoline and lumber and all types of stuff thrown into it — so now it is ignited.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

The lumber and tools lay in a careless heap.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez

Related Words

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