1
as in shambling
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in plodding
Related Words
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of lumbering
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
Any second, surely, Dad’s tan Mercedes would glide into view and start its rumbling, lumbering ascent up the gravel drive.
—Kate Crane, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Its creators, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, Frankensteined the series by stitching together two moribund TV genres—the mockumentary sitcom and the prank show—to construct something new, if still lumbering.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Your littlest charges will marvel at the size of the camels, tortoises and giraffes lumbering about the zoo’s meandering paths, and then eagerly pet goats and sheep in the farmyard.
—Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
The only real midrange comes from what sounds like inclement weather or the occasional distant, lumbering percussion.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
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
Any second, surely, Dad’s tan Mercedes would glide into view and start its rumbling, lumbering ascent up the gravel drive.
—Kate Crane, Rolling Stone, 2 Apr. 2026
Its creators, Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky, Frankensteined the series by stitching together two moribund TV genres—the mockumentary sitcom and the prank show—to construct something new, if still lumbering.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2026
Your littlest charges will marvel at the size of the camels, tortoises and giraffes lumbering about the zoo’s meandering paths, and then eagerly pet goats and sheep in the farmyard.
—Susan McDonald, The Providence Journal, 26 Mar. 2026
The only real midrange comes from what sounds like inclement weather or the occasional distant, lumbering percussion.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 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
-
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
-
His jogging gait is a bit plodding.—
Caleb Yum,
Austin American Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There was major line shuffling overall by Cooper on this night.—
Pierre LeBrun,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
YoshimiO, sharing fellow ’90s icon Flea’s recent interest in the instrument, turns in a credible trumpet line during the track’s shuffling, exuberant second half.—
Reed Jackson,
SPIN,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
America is building the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence but stumbling badly in applying it.—
Drew Cukor,
Fortune,
11 May 2026
-
The mood in Venice is still borderline ecstatic, full of gossip, parties, and people chatting about art in their respective cities, trading business cards, discovering new talent, eating, drinking, and stumbling around, running into old friends.—
Nate Freeman,
Vanity Fair,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
Chaucer, who wrote in Middle English, was famously raunchy, and this fart has been rumbling since the fourteenth century.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
-
Apple works at this vertiginous juncture where Emily Dickinson goes rumbling into Etta James and, lately, Beyoncé; where Nico solves puzzles with Randy Newman, Kurt Weill, Nina Simone and the Beatles.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The pads typically have 15 vans loading up packages every 20 minutes, though the number more than doubles around the holiday season.—
Talia McWright,
Twin Cities,
9 May 2026
-
That includes moving baggage, loading cargo and assisting with equipment.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 May 2026
Adjective
-
On the Edmonton end, Evan Bouchard and Connor McDavid, who led the NHL in defensive scoring and scoring period, respectively, are humming along offensively after wobbly starts to the series.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Soon the series saw its second significant head injury, as a wobbly Hurricanes rookie Alexander Nikishin required escorting off the ice after a massive, unpenalized hit from Ottawa Senators behemoth Tyler Kleven.—
James Mirtle,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
These tanks needed to be swift, well-protected, and capable of delivering high volumes of firepower, without being extremely cumbersome or heavy.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
7 May 2026
-
Traditional borrowing can be cumbersome, but some institutions will lend to collectors solely on the value of their art holdings.—
The Editors of ARTnews,
Robb Report,
7 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbering. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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