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

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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”

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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

See Examples For:

lumber

The other larger room contained building supplies including lumber, and large bins filled with commonly used nails, etc., as well as bins containing various types of seeds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

A tree that wasn’t board-feet of lumber was a waste, a landscape that wasn’t plowed was a waste, a river that wasn’t diverted to irrigate was a waste.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Pleasant River Lumber Company is producing 110 million board feet of softwood lumber per year at its main sawmill in Enfield and aims to expand production.

From Barron's ● Oct. 26, 2026

He has felt the squeeze personally too, citing high diesel, fertiliser, lumber and steel costs - everything from barbed wire to fence posts.

From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026

“We need a building—a blockhouse, it’s called—where we can go for protection when our rockets are launched. Could you give us some lumber to build one?”

From "October Sky" by Homer Hickam

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Related Words

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

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