1
as in shambling
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in plodding
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
the elephant lumbered through the jungle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbling
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
4
as in loading
to place a weight or burden on
preparations that will lumber the expedition with unnecessary equipment and supplies
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Recent Examples of lumbering
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Dunk is the lumbering Hedge Knight hero of this series, Ser Duncan the Tall, played by former rugby player Peter Claffey, while Egg is his wise-beyond-his-years bald young squire (Dexter Sol Ansell).
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 28 May 2026
Nesting involves lumbering ashore and laying eggs in the sand, and that ritual forces the slow-moving turtles to dodge speeding boats and jet skis.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2026
The giant sulcata tortoise came lumbering down a suburban Phoenix street one recent spring evening.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 18 May 2026
These tanks were mainly slow, lumbering, and limited in range.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
Bears were lumbering through neighborhoods, getting into garbage, garages and grills.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
There were two outs, so Alonso ran on contact, but Alvarez’s inability to collect the baseball quickly allowed the lumbering first baseman to score without even a throw.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Mando uses a bomb to trip one of the lumbering mechs, sending it crashing down the mountain, then jetpacks up to the hatch of another.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Verb
Large parts of its war effort are now unmanned, the robots, drones, and remotely piloted tanks giving it a sudden, albeit fragile, edge over a lumbering and strained Russian invader.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 30 May 2026
Dunk is the lumbering Hedge Knight hero of this series, Ser Duncan the Tall, played by former rugby player Peter Claffey, while Egg is his wise-beyond-his-years bald young squire (Dexter Sol Ansell).
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 28 May 2026
Nesting involves lumbering ashore and laying eggs in the sand, and that ritual forces the slow-moving turtles to dodge speeding boats and jet skis.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 24 May 2026
The giant sulcata tortoise came lumbering down a suburban Phoenix street one recent spring evening.
—Alina Hartounian, NPR, 18 May 2026
These tanks were mainly slow, lumbering, and limited in range.
—Matthew S Williams, Interesting Engineering, 7 May 2026
Bears were lumbering through neighborhoods, getting into garbage, garages and grills.
—Stephen Hudak, The Orlando Sentinel, 4 May 2026
There were two outs, so Alonso ran on contact, but Alvarez’s inability to collect the baseball quickly allowed the lumbering first baseman to score without even a throw.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 1 May 2026
Mando uses a bomb to trip one of the lumbering mechs, sending it crashing down the mountain, then jetpacks up to the hatch of another.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbering
Adjective
-
With almost no plan, Sonny makes a shambling attempt at an armed robbery, only to end up trapped in the bank with the manager and five female tellers as his hostages.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2026
-
One rarely gains a sense of what people look like (beyond the son’s bulky physique and shambling movements, in which the mother ‘caught a flash of her brother’).—
Dan Sheehan,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Brunson was too small (6-foot-2), not long enough (with a 6-foot-4 wingspan) and too plodding.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
-
Neither is known for having much of an off-the-dribble game that could hurt the plodding Porzingis or Horford.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Having gone into hiding, Walt ultimately manages to make some things right before shuffling off the mortal coil.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
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The move comes one year after the team promoted Saleh to general manager after another round of shuffling in its front office.—
Lauren Williams,
AJC.com,
27 May 2026
Verb
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This includes people who do not know each other and who did not coordinate with one another to gather all somehow separately, hearing about Manhattanhenge (or simply stumbling across the crowd) and enjoying the view together.—
Chelsea Gohd,
Space.com,
1 June 2026
-
The video then shows Henderson stumbling towards a wall in the area, where someone can be seen calling for help.—
Brittney Ermon,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Verb
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Humming cooling systems, rumbling diesel generators and whirring fans can be heard hundreds of feet around them 24/7, according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
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The bass is like Godzilla approaching, rumbling glasses of water hundreds of miles away and activating stank faces far and wide.—
Tatiana Lee Rodriguez,
Pitchfork,
1 June 2026
Verb
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On Friday, agents observed a man loading heavy items into a van outside the store and then driving to a nearby mechanic’s shop.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
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After loading the bases with no outs in the first inning Monday, two strikeouts followed.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
28 May 2026
Adjective
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But shouldering a wobbly, expensive summer tentpole is a risk — just ask Sam Worthington or Taylor Kitsch.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
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Folks who can afford today’s lofty rents are a limited group, especially when the job market’s a tad wobbly.—
Jonathan Lansner,
Oc Register,
1 June 2026
Adjective
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Swimsuits for women my size are typically cumbersome, made with a confusing excess of fabric, and frumpy.—
Tamim Alnuweiri,
InStyle,
29 May 2026
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But the process of obtaining records through the city’s official public records system can be cumbersome and lengthy.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
29 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbering. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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