log

1 of 6

noun (1)

ˈlȯg How to pronounce log (audio)
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

log

3 of 6

noun (2)

often attributive

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

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 first caller reported that a single vehicle, possibly a dark colored Jeep Wrangler, crashed into the concrete center divider, according to the log. Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2024 According to the prosecution, Monica forwarded the log in credentials and user manual for her security system to Robert Baker on the same day it was upgraded. Gabriella Demirdjian, CBS News, 10 Mar. 2024 Flight logs show that after taking off from San Francisco, the Airbus A320 jet suddenly turned around over Sonora, Mexico, around 3 p.m. Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 While the chatbot cited legitimate news outlets, such as the Wisconsin State Journal and New York Times, in the log, the summaries described general topics, not actual news stories. Kelly Meyerhofer, Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Emails and cell phone logs were also read by Swansburg and Griffin on Friday. Eleanor McCrary, The Courier-Journal, 26 Feb. 2024 The suspect faces a charge of theft totaling more than $950, according to jail booking logs. Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 The crash was reported about 1:45 p.m. on the freeway between Friars Road and Aero Drive, according to CHP online traffic logs, not long after someone reported seeing a man walking in the lane to the right of the fast lane. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 While the delay is unfortunate, the Jetstream #1 well is still anticipated to reach TD, be tested with a comprehensive suite of open-hole wireline logs and be completed by the first week of March. Charlotte Observer, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
Their force controlled a tension-less second half; Curry and Green only needed to log 24 minutes. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 Decades ago, private employers might require workers to log 25 or 30 years to qualify for a pension, John said. Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 19 Mar. 2024 Pink’s Summer Carnival tour of Australia and New Zealand is yet to wrap, but it’s already logged in the history books. Lars Brandle, Billboard, 19 Mar. 2024 Some people on the trading floor would wear pedometers and log between six to eight miles of steps daily by walking between different stock panels. Krystal Hur, CNN, 16 Mar. 2024 Since 2022, when the Federal Reserve started ratcheting up the federal funds rate to cool down the economy, EDGAR has been logging record after record. Sam Dean, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Since 1970, according to his analysis, when the S&P 500 gains ground in both January and February, stocks in the index logged an average return of 10.5% over the rest of the calendar year and 13.9% over the subsequent 12 months. The Arizona Republic, 10 Mar. 2024 An optimist wants to believe that once the country repairs its bridges and gets everyone logged onto super-fast WiFi, makes billionaires pay up in taxes and gets prescription drug prices under control, that Americans will be better. Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 At their two-month-long preliminary hearing, prosecutors said cellphone pings from nearby towers placed both men at the scene of the crime, and that there was evidence their bluetooth data had been logged into the Toyota as well. Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 8 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'log.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of log was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near log

Cite this Entry

“Log.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/log. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

log

1 of 3 noun
ˈlȯg How to pronounce log (audio)
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

Legal Definition

log

noun

More from Merriam-Webster on log

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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