1
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily
the elephant lumbered through the jungle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
the novel's plot lumbers to its predictable conclusion after 500 long pages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in loaded
to place a weight or burden on
preparations that will lumber the expedition with unnecessary equipment and supplies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lumbered
Many experts had thought sharks didn’t exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before this sleeper shark lumbered warily and briefly into the spotlight of a video camera, researcher Alan Jamieson said this week.
—
CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Many experts had thought sharks didn't exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before this sleeper shark lumbered warily and briefly into the spotlight of a video camera, researcher Alan Jamieson said this week.
—CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Many experts had thought sharks didn’t exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before this sleeper shark lumbered warily and briefly into the spotlight of a video camera, researcher Alan Jamieson said this week.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
Robinson said he was also cut off from food stamps in November as the longest government shutdown in history lumbered on.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
The raccoon took the hint, shimmied down the rope and lumbered onto a ladder before making a less-than-graceful landing on the porch below.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
CNN Money, 18 Feb. 2026
Many experts had thought sharks didn't exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before this sleeper shark lumbered warily and briefly into the spotlight of a video camera, researcher Alan Jamieson said this week.
—CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Many experts had thought sharks didn’t exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before this sleeper shark lumbered warily and briefly into the spotlight of a video camera, researcher Alan Jamieson said this week.
—ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026
Robinson said he was also cut off from food stamps in November as the longest government shutdown in history lumbered on.
—Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
The raccoon took the hint, shimmied down the rope and lumbered onto a ladder before making a less-than-graceful landing on the porch below.
—Ronnie Li, USA Today, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbered
Verb
-
While many of the brand’s lifestyle models are frequently shuffled in and out of production, the 9060 has held on as a staple of the brand’s lineup nearly four years after its retail debut.—
Riley Jones,
Footwear News,
28 May 2026
-
He then was shuffled between immigration centers in California, Arizona and Louisiana — before landing in Equatorial Guinea almost six months ago.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Soto, wounded, stumbled into the Wingstop seeking help.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
3 June 2026
-
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.—
Khloe Quill,
FOXNews.com,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Heavy equipment rumbled away on what is now red clay, no longer road asphalt, at the site Tuesday.—
Joe Marusak
May 14,
Charlotte Observer,
14 May 2026
-
Trainor’s family and friends had followed the 30-year-old officer’s casket in a motorcade that rumbled through Federal Street, up to the church’s front doors.—
Colleen Cronin,
Boston Herald,
13 May 2026
Verb
-
The Diablos loaded the bases with no outs but didn’t score.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
31 May 2026
-
McCarthy and Hunter Goodman drew walks off Houser, Willi Castro delivered an RBI single, and Sterling Thompson took one for the team, getting plunked by Houser with the bases loaded.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
Evidence presented at trial showed Wallace threw the victim to the ground, repeatedly punched and stomped him, and searched his pockets before taking his wallet and other belongings, the DA’s office said.—
Bay City News Service,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
-
The accordionist stomped sideways under the stage lights, sweat running down his temples, looking like Angus Young sans schoolboy shorts.—
Katie Thornton,
Harpers Magazine,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Wembanyama, one of the marquee stars of this series, was his usual disruptive presence in the paint defensively but struggled to make a larger impact elsewhere.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
Meta still counts on ads for about 98% of revenue, having repeatedly struggled to sell digital and physical products over the years.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Jack White, who growled and grinded as the singer/guitarist of the White Stripes and has since positioned himself as a primal rock god on his own, is showing a new side as a sculptor with a show opening in a London gallery run by none other than Damien Hirst.—
Andy Battaglia,
ARTnews.com,
22 May 2026
-
Mira growled into her watch, excitedly.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
Just a forehand shot away from the red clay courts, Auteuil is an authentic pocket of Paris that’s far from the tourist throngs—and the stereotypes sometimes saddled on it by east-leaning Parisians.—
Mary Winston Nicklin,
Condé Nast Traveler,
1 June 2026
-
Only 18 women have saddled an entrant.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lumbered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbered. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
