lumber

verb (1)

lum·ber | \ ˈləm-bər

lumbered; lumbering\ ˈləm-b(ə-)riŋ

Definition of lumber

(Entry 1 of 3)

intransitive verb

1 : to move ponderously an elephant lumbering along the road The economy continues to lumber along.

2 : rumble lumbering machines

lumber

noun

Definition of lumber (Entry 2 of 3)

1 : surplus or disused articles (such as furniture) that are stored away

2a : timber or logs especially when dressed for use

b : any of various structural materials prepared in a form similar to lumber

lumber

verb (2)

lumbered; lumbering\ ˈləm-b(ə-)riŋ

Definition of lumber (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

1 : to clutter with or as if with lumber : encumber plan to lumber the tiny town with a giant ski resort— Marilyn Stasio

2 : to heap together in disorder

3 : to log and saw the timber of

intransitive verb

1 : to cut logs for lumber

2 : to saw logs into lumber for the market

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Examples of lumber in a Sentence

Noun

He works for a lumber company. had a clearout of all his old lumber and finally got rid of it

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

At 6 feet 4 and known for lumbering about with his bald head down in thought, Gibson cut a formidable figure in the newsroom, an image that belied his compassion for reporters and knack for magic tricks. — Corina Knoll, latimes.com, "Bob Gibson, former L.A. Times foreign editor, dies at 89," 23 June 2018 That's quite a departure from the days of giant, slug-like, totally conspicuous vehicles lumbering across the barren battlefields of World War I. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "100 Years Ago Today, Tanks Changed Warfare Forever," 15 Sep. 2016 When coasting, or when the driver applies just a little brake in a situation such as lumbering down a gentle hill, eTorque operates on pure regen, in which the truck's conventional disc brakes are disabled. — Matthew Jancer, Popular Mechanics, "Ram 1500 eTorque: Why the Electrified Pickup Truck Is Even Better," 19 Sep. 2018 On the eastern edge of Bushwick, the train burst out of the ground, into daylight, and lumbered down a stretch that looked semirural, with cemeteries on the left. — William Finnegan, The New Yorker, "Can Andy Byford Save the Subways?," 2 July 2018 No need to lumber down the trail like an overloaded gear head. — Lauren Steele, WSJ, "America’s Best Secluded Swimming Holes—and How to Find Them," 20 June 2018 But back when dinosaurs lumbered across the place where Madison stands today, Earth spun faster around its axis. — Chris J. Ratcliffe, National Geographic, "This Summer Solstice, Earth's Days Are Longer Than Ever," 20 June 2018 Meanwhile, the generic-and-lumbering Mr. Incredible is floored by his most diabolical villain yet: responsibility. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, "Incredibles 2 review: Brad Bird, Pixar are on fire with this superhero sequel," 15 June 2018 Now, with her sister’s two teenage sons lumbering in and out and her 4-year-old daughter pattering around plastic chairs, water buckets, and a coal pit on the dusty floor, Loum barely has room to turn around. — Deirdre Fernandes, BostonGlobe.com, "An education in hope," 7 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

One of the few remaining tracts of virgin timber east of the Mississippi River, the park’s massive trees were almost cut down for lumber in the 1960s. — Jay Jones, chicagotribune.com, "Pitch a tent, and play outdoors at these 5 Midwest campgrounds," 13 June 2018 Though never large enough to use for lumber, the tree’s narrow branches were appropriated to fashion objects that needed to be thin and very hard. — Dave Taft, New York Times, "Blaze of Glory," 16 May 2018 French workers assembled the colossus from lumber, plaster, iron and copper. — Michael O’donnell, WSJ, "‘Sentinel’ Review: The New Colossus," 9 Nov. 2018 Construction costs have already gone up with steel and lumber prices dramatically higher. — Phillip Molnar, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Can the U.S. economy withstand a trade war?," 13 July 2018 In his interview Wednesday, Trudeau downplayed the economic impact of dealing with Trump so far, and tensions with the U.S. on a wide range of trade files, from lumber to airplanes. — Josh Wingrove, Bloomberg.com, "Trudeau Dodged Steel Tariffs. Now He’s Trying to Save Nafta," 15 Mar. 2018 This is vital to Canada to avoid America’s many protectionist business lobbies that use other U.S. laws to punish competition from imports such as lumber. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "A New Nafta Relief," 1 Oct. 2018 Black rhino—some mammalian reflection of the Jurassic, thick-skinned toughness of this landscape—lumber through the ravines, lunching on the weird euphorbia plants that are toxic to most other creatures. — Stanley Stewart, Condé Nast Traveler, "Going Off-Grid in Namibia," 21 Dec. 2018 Some artists have even removed the cloth from its supporting lumber and folded, piled, or shredded it. — Peter Plagens, WSJ, "‘Lucio Fontana: On the Threshold’ Review: Creativity That Cuts Against the Grain," 22 Jan. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'lumber.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.