log

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈlȯg 

ˈläg

often attributive

1

: a usually bulky piece or length of a cut or fallen tree

especially : a length of a tree trunk ready for sawing and over six feet (1.8 meters) long

2

: an apparatus for measuring the rate of a ship's motion through the water that consists of a block fastened to a line and run out from a reel

3

a

: the record of the rate of a ship's speed or of her daily progress

also : the full nautical record of a ship's voyage

b

: the full record of a flight by an aircraft

4

: a record of performance, events, or day-to-day activities

log

2 of 6

verb

logged; logging

transitive verb

1

a

: to cut (trees) for lumber

b

: to clear (land) of trees in lumbering

—often used with off

2

: to make a note or record of : enter details of or about in a log

3

a

: to move (an indicated distance) or attain (an indicated speed) as noted in a log

b(1)

: to sail a ship or fly an airplane for (an indicated distance or period of time)

(2)

: to have (an indicated record) to one's credit : achieve

intransitive verb

: lumber entry 3 sense 1

log

3 of 6

noun (2)

often attributive

: logarithm

log

4 of 6

abbreviation

logic

log-

5 of 6

combining form

variants or logo-

: word : thought : speech : discourse

logogram

logorrhea

-log

6 of 6

noun combining form

see -logue

Synonyms

Verb

• jot (down)
• mark
• note
• put down
• record
• register
• report
• set down
• take down
• write down

Examples of log in a Sentence

Verb

Thousands of trees have been logged in this area.

The forest has been heavily logged.

The company has been logging in this area for many years.

Part of his job is to log all deliveries.

Truck drivers log thousands of miles every week.

She has only been flying for a few months, but she has already logged more than 80 hours.

a pitcher who has logged more than a hundred victories

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The female moths deposit their almost invisible eggs in places where spider webs are likely to form, especially rotten logs, tree hollows and rock cavities. —Elizabeth Weise, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025

True to its Western roots, Expedition 33 has audio logs players can find in the form of journal entries from previous expeditions. —George Yang, Rolling Stone, 23 Apr. 2025

Verb

Police in both Little Rock and North Little Rock will have wider access to flying drones after both cities were awarded state grants this year, although the departments' plans... Subscribe to continue reading, or log in. —Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 27 Apr. 2025

The Devils had three chances in regulation against the league-best Hurricanes penalty kill but failed to score and logged only four shots in their six minutes up a man before overtime. —Peter Baugh, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English logge

Noun (2)

by shortening

Combining form

Greek, from logos — more at legend

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1699, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

1631, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing log

• (as) easy as falling off a log
• gas log
• log cabin
• log in
• log line
• log off
• log on
• log out
• sleep like a baby/log
• Yule log

Rhymes for log

• blog
• bog
• clog
• cog
• dog
• flog
• fog
• frog
• grog
• hog
• jog
• og

Kids Definition

log

1 of 3 noun

ˈlȯg 

ˈläg

1

: a large piece of a cut or fallen tree

especially : a long piece of a tree trunk trimmed and ready for sawing

2

: a device for measuring the speed of a ship

3

a

: the daily record of a ship's speed and progress

b

: the full record of a ship's voyage or of an aircraft's flight

4

: a record of performance, events, or day-to-day activities

a computer log

log

2 of 3 verb

logged; logging

1

: to cut trees for lumber or to clear land of trees in lumbering

2

: to put details of or about in a log

3

a

: to move a distance or reach a speed as noted in a log

b

: to sail a ship or fly an aircraft for an indicated distance or time

the pilot logged thousands of miles and hundreds of hours

log

3 of 3 noun

: logarithm

Legal Definition

log

noun

: register sense 1