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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbered
Verb
-
And then, after Nakashima sent a first serve back into the middle with good depth, slightly tucking the Spaniard up, Alcaraz shuffled backward and detonated an inside-in forehand to win the match.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025 -
But what that led to, advocates and attorneys say, is that children in the state’s care continued to be in night to night placements and shuffled from home to home.—
Laura Bauer,
Kansas City Star,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Except, of course, for that old dinosaur that somehow stumbled into a misplaced DeLorean, fired up the flux capacitor, and time travelled from the stone ages straight to the Uli beach.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Determined to keep searching, Hollie eventually stumbled on a TLC episode featuring a boy named Gio, who also had Schwartz-Jampel Syndrome.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Then, things got exciting for the large home crowd when Bell’s Aiese Poese picked off a pass and rumbled down the Northwest 17-yard line.—
Pat Wheeler,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
4 Oct. 2025
-
But the best has to go to the 6-foot-4, 347-pound Lawrence, who, while being double-teamed, got his hands up to deflect a Justin Herbert pass, batting it into the air, came off the double-team, snatched the ball out of the air and rumbled 37 yards before getting toppled.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Bystanders in the area helped authorities lift part of the helicopter and get the victim out, who was then loaded into an ambulance, according to Sylvia.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
-
The purchases of Argentinian bank cards in neighboring Chile have increased 438% this year, while Argentines have loaded up on Jordan-brand sneakers and Zara jeans.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
By Dom Luszczyszyn, Sean Gentille and Shayna Goldman Coming into last season, the Washington Capitals had taken major steps to improve a roster that, by plenty of measures, had fluked its way into the postseason and summarily gotten stomped in the first round.—
The Athletic NHL,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
-
When the band quickly left before the encore, the elated, yet sweaty, audience clapped their hands and stomped their feet without virtually anyone leaving the building.—
Josh Chesler,
AZCentral.com,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Both teams are currently ranked in the top 10, and as is well-documented, Franklin has struggled in such games.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
-
The food bank has struggled to keep up with demand following the cuts and a decrease in private donations.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The financial terms for the Kyaukpyu port are even less favorable than those of other prominent Belt and Road Initiative projects that have saddled host countries with debt, such as the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka.—
Dan Swift,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Knee-jerk comparisons to last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, might have saddled him with unrealistic expectations going into his sophomore season.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Twenty years after Frank and Marie last barged into Ray and Debra’s house, the Barones are back — returning to CBS for one night only.—
Ryan Schwartz,
TVLine,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Authorities believe Dear first shot at people near his truck, then shot people in front of the clinic, then barged inside and continued shooting.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
24 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Lumbered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbered. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share