sawyer

noun

saw·​yer ˈsȯ-yər 

ˈsȯi-ər

1

: one that saws

2

or sawyer beetle : any of several large long-horned beetles whose larvae bore large holes in timber or dead wood especially of various conifers

3

: a tree fast in the bed of a stream with its branches projecting to the surface and bobbing up and down with the current

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Interfor, one of the pandemic's hottest stocks, is the latest sawyer to announce cutbacks, citing declining wood demand in its decision to reduce fourth-quarter lumber output by 17%. —Ryan Dezember, WSJ, 21 Oct. 2022

The cotton-elastane blend stretched well enough for one sawyer to use proper form and wear chainsaw chaps while bucking wood. —Charlie Ebbers, Outside Online, 18 Oct. 2022

The year after the Nuttall Fire, West became a sawyer, operating a chainsaw in heavy timber, often on the hot edge of a fire—one of the most dangerous jobs on a hotshot crew. —The New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2021

The friendships West formed with his sawyer partners were thrillingly close. —The New Yorker, 8 Nov. 2021

There once was a sawyer who lived in the rainforest. —Longreads, 5 Feb. 2021

For those not in the know, a hazel hoe is used to trench and clear the area, while a sawyer is a person trained to down limbs and trees during wildfires. —Christina Zdanowicz, CNN, 16 Sep. 2020

ArchitectureWorks worked with the homeowners and a local sawyer to repurpose felled trees from a nearby country club and turn them into full-round posts. —al, 14 Apr. 2020

Specialists called sawyers, who chop down trees, wore more, hauling Kevlar chaps and chain saws. —Tim Arango, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2019

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Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing sawyer

• sawyer beetle

• sawyer beetle

Kids Definition

sawyer

noun

saw·​yer ˈsȯ-yər 

ˈsȯi-ər

: a person who saws timber