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lumbered

verb

past tense of lumber
1
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily the elephant lumbered through the jungle

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rumbled
to make a low heavy rolling sound the horse-drawn wagon lumbered along the trail

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4
as in loaded
to place a weight or burden on preparations that will lumber the expedition with unnecessary equipment and supplies

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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 Travis Bazzana lumbered through August, seemingly striking the proverbial rookie wall. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 The man in the suit who lumbered around in the background of their lives. — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 When the other train finally emerged through the inferno and lumbered past them, the camera man couldn’t help but exclaim. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 15 July 2026 Quietly reading my book without another soul around, a family of four lumbered up with their wagon filled with chairs, toys, an umbrella, and a cooler. — Susan B. Barnes, Southern Living, 14 July 2026 Just before Megna spoke in the hallway outside the Eagles locker room, Gagne lumbered by on crutches. — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 11 June 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbered
  1. shuffled
  2. stumbled
  3. rumbled
  4. loaded
  5. stomped
  6. struggled
  7. growled
  8. saddled
Verb
  • In any case, Babcock is now tasked with rejuvenating a team that took a massive step backward last season and only shuffled a few pieces during the offseason.
    — Max Bultman, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2026
  • In the immediate aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, many studios either shuffled their product directly to streaming or waited a mere 17 days for their films to become available to buy or rent at home.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of shuffled
Verb
  • Portage stumbled into its flock of Flocks after then-Sheriff Dave Reynolds contracted with the company to put them in the city.
    — Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 15 Sep. 2026
  • For all of the anticipation of an explosive new offensive attack sparked by the arrival of new coordinator Mike McDaniel, the Chargers stumbled and fumbled their way through their season debut.
    — Doug Haller, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Verb
  • Jets from nearby LaGuardia Airport roared overhead and trains rumbled alongside the grounds.
    — Douglas Robson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Just a few feet beyond the forest, buses rumbled past, horns blared, and commuters hurried to work.
    — Marina Dias, Washington Post, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of rumbled
Verb
  • Saturday put that to the test, when Wheeler again loaded the bases with no outs in the first.
    — Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Michael Conforto continued his strong season with a solo home run in the third, his 14th of the year, and Happ’s two-run single with the bases loaded that inning extended the Cubs’ lead.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 6 Sep. 2026
Definition of loaded
Verb
  • The Bulldogs visit Arkansas, which just got stomped by Utah, to open SEC play Saturday.
    — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 14 Sep. 2026
  • Even when stomped into the mud by a 17,500-pound apex predator, dinosaur footprints rarely last long enough to fossilize over millions of years.
    — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of stomped
Verb
  • The 23-year-old struggled in the defeat to Argentina before adding his seventh of the tournament against France in the third-place play-off.
    — Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • His 81-year-old partner has struggled without Vela Gonzalez, her primary caretaker.
    — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of struggled
Verb
  • Since then, Barkley has growled at several other people, and all but one have been diagnosed with some type of cancer, Dozier said.
    — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2026
  • At the other end of our road, the cranes of the docks loomed — great Stothert and Pitt machines that growled overhead like something out of Star Wars, guarding the scale and mystery of the River Thames.
    — Lee Clayton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of growled
Verb
  • The ranchers said the park service saddled them with excessive rules and regulations.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Thus, when the National Research Act of 1974 became law, requirements for ethics reviews leaned on local IRBs and saddled local universities and research organizations with the financial and legal risks of reviewing research protocols.
    — Angus Chen, STAT, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of saddled

Browse Nearby Words

lumber
lumbered
lumberer
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Cite this Entry

“Lumbered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbered. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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