timber

American  

[tim-ber] / ˈtɪm bər /

noun

1. the wood of growing trees suitable for structural uses.

2. growing trees themselves.

3. wooded land.

4. wood, especially when suitable or adapted for various building purposes.

5. a single piece of wood forming part of a structure or the like.

   A timber fell from the roof.

6. Nautical. (in a ship's frame) one of the curved pieces of wood that spring upward and outward from the keel; rib.

7. personal character or quality.

   He's being talked up as presidential timber.

8. Sports. a wooden hurdle, as a gate or fence, over which a horse must jump in equestrian sports.

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verb (used with object)

1. to furnish with timber.

2. to support with timber.

verb (used without object)

1. to fell timber, especially as an occupation.

interjection

1. a lumberjack's call to warn those in the vicinity that a cut tree is about to fall to the ground.

timber British  

/ ˈtɪmbə /

noun

1. 1. Usual US and Canadian word: lumber.  wood, esp when regarded as a construction material

   2. ( as modifier )

      a timber cottage

2. 1. trees collectively

   2. woodland

3. a piece of wood used in a structure

4. nautical a frame in a wooden vessel

5. potential material, for a post, rank, etc

   he is managerial timber

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verb

1. (tr) to provide with timbers

interjection

1. a lumberjack's shouted warning when a tree is about to fall

Usage

What does timber mean? Timber refers to wood used for building materials. Timber can be used to refer to wood at different stages of processing. Sometimes, it refers to the trees in a wooded area that will be cut for use. Other times, it means trees that have already been cut down but not yet processed into planks and other forms to build with. And other times it refers to the wood after it has been processed (a more common word for this is lumber). Timber is most commonly used as a mass noun, meaning it is a singular noun that refers to multiple things and does not get pluralized. Example: Those trucks are bringing freshly cut timber to the mill.

Other Word Forms

• timberless
  adjective
• timbery
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of timber

First recorded before 900; Middle English, Old English: originally, “house, building material, wood, trees”; cognate with German Zimmer “room,” Old Norse timbr “timber”; akin to Gothic timrjan “to build,” Greek démein “to build,” dómos “house,” Latin domus “house,” Slavic ( Polish ) dom, “house, home,” Sanskrit dáma- “house, building”; see dome

Explanation

Timber! That's the call of warning you hear before a tree falls. That's because those lumberjacks are going to use the tree to make timber, otherwise known as "lumber" or the wood used for construction. Timber can actually be the trees used to make or build something, or the wood that comes from those trees, which you could also call "lumber." You might think that when a pirate yells "shiver me timbers!" he's referring to his wooden peg leg. But the timbers he's talking about are actually the boards and planks used to build the frame of a ship.

Example Sentences

Environmentalists say funding these forests with timber operations incentivizes cutting bigger trees.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2026

They also said Forestry England managed the nation's forests, following "world-class, independently certified, sustainable forest and land management standards" to ensure they thrive and provide vital sustainably produced timber.

From BBC • May 2, 2026

Using modern materials and technologies, including laser-cut timber and acrylic, programmable LED lighting, and electronic control systems, they adapted Hamilton's clockwork-based design for today's audience.

From Science Daily • May 2, 2026

Washington set levies on aluminum and steel at 50%, timber at 35%, and some auto parts at 25%.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Even when within a very short distance of the manor-house, you could see nothing of it, so thick and dark grew the timber of the gloomy wood about it.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

Related Words

• forest
• hardwood
• log