lumbering

[luhm-ber-ing]

noun

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

lumbering

¹

/ ˈlʌmbərɪŋ /

adjective

1. awkward in movement

2. moving with a rumbling sound

lumbering

²

/ ˈlʌmbərɪŋ /

noun

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

Other Word Forms

• unlumbering adjective
• lumberingness noun
• lumberingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of lumbering¹

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

Example Sentences

Climate change, he claimed to audible gasps, was "the greatest con job ever perpetrated on the world" and was lumbering European countries with expensive energy costs compared to fossil fuels.

From BBC

That summer, Fisher said, no matter what he did, the bears kept lumbering back into town.

From Los Angeles Times

And for decades, every attempt to create legal access has foundered on the rocky shoals of property rights and lumbering bureaucracy.

From Los Angeles Times

In consequence, our civic machinery was, and still can be, lumberingly ineffective.

From Los Angeles Times

Instead, the lumbering William “Refrigerator” Perry got the handoff and scored.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• hulking 
• ungainly 
• unwieldy