1
as in shambling
Related Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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 lumbering
Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
The North Atlantic right whale, Latin name Eubalaena glacialis, is one of three species of the lumbering giants.
—Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 30 Jan. 2026
During the announcement, a lumbering Frankenstein’s Monster appeared on the set with Thompson and Mitchell.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Over the course of his career, Stradivari went from making large, lumbering cellos to creating smaller, more innovative ones that became the blueprint for the modern instrument.
—John Phipps, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
So, the lumbering maw that is our leader is likely to gobble it up.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2026
The Celtics pounded the paint with Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, a pair of bruising bigs who also can force the issue from 3-point range despite their lumbering dispositions.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
There’s also a massive leg lumbering in the distance which could be a Sentinel, the gigantic, mutant-hunting robots that are some of X-Men’s most iconic villains.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
The mood in Russia is hard to gauge – criticizing the military can land a person in jail – and the economy keeps lumbering along, despite slowing growth and a Ukrainian campaign of strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, the cornerstone of Moscow’s economic power.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
The only real midrange comes from what sounds like inclement weather or the occasional distant, lumbering percussion.
—Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
The North Atlantic right whale, Latin name Eubalaena glacialis, is one of three species of the lumbering giants.
—Kristi Swartz, AJC.com, 30 Jan. 2026
During the announcement, a lumbering Frankenstein’s Monster appeared on the set with Thompson and Mitchell.
—Tim Lammers, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Over the course of his career, Stradivari went from making large, lumbering cellos to creating smaller, more innovative ones that became the blueprint for the modern instrument.
—John Phipps, New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2026
So, the lumbering maw that is our leader is likely to gobble it up.
—Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 16 Jan. 2026
The Celtics pounded the paint with Neemias Queta and Luka Garza, a pair of bruising bigs who also can force the issue from 3-point range despite their lumbering dispositions.
—Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 7 Jan. 2026
There’s also a massive leg lumbering in the distance which could be a Sentinel, the gigantic, mutant-hunting robots that are some of X-Men’s most iconic villains.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 6 Jan. 2026
The mood in Russia is hard to gauge – criticizing the military can land a person in jail – and the economy keeps lumbering along, despite slowing growth and a Ukrainian campaign of strikes on Russian energy infrastructure, the cornerstone of Moscow’s economic power.
—Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbering
Adjective
-
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
-
These movies—including the seven-hour-long Sátántangó, a centerpiece of which is a shambling dance in a barroom—often swap the meandering sentence for a single camera shot that lasts 10 minutes or more.—
Walt Hunter,
The Atlantic,
9 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Where the film falters is in its plodding rhythm and clunky dialogue, much of which is delivered too flatly by actors who don’t exactly steal their scenes.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
-
At a plodding pace, the desert wilderness can be admired in all its granular splendor.—
Anna Zacharias,
Condé Nast Traveler,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The shuffling sound quickened and the puzzlers’ hands sped up.—
Lia Picard,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Some line shuffling by Warsofsky worked.—
Curtis Pashelka,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Yas is not stumbling into evil unwittingly or being forced by circumstance.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Surveillance video from that night shows a man wearing a Blackhawks jersey entering the store, then stumbling out before a struggle spilled into the street.—
Darius Johnson,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Eric’s original sound was straight-up rumbling sub bass.—
Cheyenne Roundtree,
Rolling Stone,
1 Mar. 2026
-
No procession of tanks, no towering intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM), no hypersonic glide vehicles, no transporter-erector-launchers rumbling past the cameras.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Aramco has been redirecting oil cargoes to Red Sea facilities on Saudi Arabia’s west coast to avoid the Strait of Hormuz, with eight supertankers loading from the area this month.—
Christine Burke,
Bloomberg,
8 Mar. 2026
-
Yes, blueberries are great, but the key isn’t loading up on a single fruit.—
Lynn Andriani,
Martha Stewart,
7 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
You might be tempted to keep the pan in the oven longer when the center still appears a little wet and wobbly.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
22 Feb. 2026
-
The showing marked a sharp contrast from the 2025 Gala, which had featured less advanced versions of the robots twirling handkerchiefs in a wobbly folk dance.—
Dylan Butts,Matthew Chin,
CNBC,
20 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Yoav Gallant, then the country's defense minister, believed that arrangement was too cumbersome.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Without enough staff, the distribution of Measure W funds will be cumbersome and slow while the fund accumulates taxes through 2031.—
Kyle Martin,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbering. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
