Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense lumbers, present participle lumbering, past tense, past participle lumbered
1. uncountable noun
Lumber consists of trees and large pieces of wood that have been roughly cut up.
[mainly US]
It was made of soft lumber, spruce by the look of it.
He was going to have to purchase all his lumber at full retail price.
Synonyms: junk, refuse, rubbish, discards More Synonyms of lumber
2. verb
If someone or something lumbers from one place to another, they move there very slowly and clumsily.
He turned and lumbered back to his chair. [VERB adverb/preposition]
The truck lumbered across the parking lot toward the road. [VERB adverb/preposition]
He looked straight ahead and overtook a lumbering lorry. [VERB-ing]
Synonyms: plod, shuffle, shamble, trudge More Synonyms of lumber
Phrasal verbs:
See lumber with
More Synonyms of lumber
lumber in British English1
(ˈlʌmbə)
noun
1. mainly US and Canadian
a.
logs; sawn timber
b.
cut timber, esp when sawn and dressed ready for use in joinery, carpentry, etc
c.
(as modifier)
the lumber trade
2. British
a.
useless household articles that are stored away
b.
(as modifier)
lumber room
verb
3. (transitive)
to pile together in a disorderly manner
4. (transitive)
to fill up or encumber with useless household articles
5. mainly US and Canadian
to convert (the trees) of (a forest) into marketable timber
6. (transitive) British informal
to burden with something unpleasant, tedious, etc
7. (transitive) Australian
to arrest; imprison
Derived forms
lumberer (ˈlumberer)
noun
Word origin
C17: perhaps from a noun use of lumber2
lumber in British English2
(ˈlʌmbə)
verb(intransitive)
1.
to move awkwardly
2. an obsolete word for rumble
Word origin
C14 lomeren; perhaps related to lomelame1, Swedish dialect loma to move ponderously
lumber in American English1
(ˈlʌmbər)
noun
1.
miscellaneous discarded household articles, furniture, etc. stored away or taking up room
2. US
timber sawed into beams, planks, boards, etc. of convenient sizes
verb transitive
3.
a.
to fill or obstruct with useless articles or rubbish; clutter
b. British, Informal
to encumber or burden
often with with
4. US
to remove (timber) from (an area) for use as lumber
verb intransitive US
5.
to cut down timber and saw it into lumber
Derived forms
lumberer (ˈlumberer) US
noun
Word origin
< ? Lombard: orig., pawnbroker's shop or storeroom, hence pawned articles in storage, hence storedarticles, hence lumber
lumber in American English2
(ˈlʌmbər)
verb intransitive
1.
to move heavily, clumsily, and, often, noisily
tanks lumbering up a slope
2.
to rumble
Word origin
ME lomeren < ? Scand, as in Swed lomra, to resound, loma, to walk heavily
Examples of 'lumber' in a sentence
lumber
Most employers today are far more worried about skills shortages than about being lumbered with too many staff.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
On game drives, the trucks lumber past them without pause.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
After an agonising wait for the elephants to arrive, we climb aboard and lumber into the woods.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Some models suggest that the lumber price could trend towards a high more than 300 per cent above its 2009 low.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
As the food trucks came lumbering down the road, passing the city of shacks and tents, the whole camp stood up as one.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
In other languages
lumber
British English: lumber NOUN
Lumber consists of trees and large pieces of wood that have been roughly cut up.
It was made of soft lumber, spruce by the look of it.
American English: lumber
Brazilian Portuguese: lenha
Chinese: 木材
European Spanish: madera
French: bois
German: Holz
Italian: legname
Japanese: 材木
Korean: 목재
European Portuguese: lenha
Latin American Spanish: madera
British English: lumber VERB
If someone or something lumbers from one place to another, they move there very slowly and clumsily.
He turned and lumbered back to his chair.
American English: lumber
Brazilian Portuguese: mover-se pesadamente
Chinese: 缓缓前进
European Spanish: moverse pesadamente
French: marcher pesamment
German: tapsen
Italian: muoversi pesantemente
Japanese: のそのそ～へ行く
Korean: 느릿느릿 움직이다
European Portuguese: mover-se pesadamente
Latin American Spanish: moverse pesadamente
Chinese translation of 'lumber'
lumber
(ˈlʌmbəʳ)
n(u)
(esp US, = wood) 木材 (mùcái)
英 = timber
(Brit, o.f., = junk) 废(廢)旧(舊)杂(雜)物 (fèijiù záwù)
vi
to lumber into view/across the square[person, animal]笨重缓(緩)慢地走进(進)视(視)野/通过(過)广(廣)场(場) (bènzhòng huǎnmàn de zǒujìn shìyě/tōngguò guǎngchǎng) [truck, tank]缓(緩)缓(緩)地移动(動)进(進)入视(視)野/穿过(過)广(廣)场(場) (huǎnhuǎn de yídòng jìnrù shìyě/chuānguò guǎngchǎng)
(verb)
Definition
to burden with something unpleasant
(British, informal)
She was lumbered with a bill for about £90.
Synonyms
burden
We decided not to burden him with the news.
land
The other options could simply land us with more expense.
load
saddle
The war saddled the country with huge foreign debt.
impose upon
encumber
The company is still labouring under the debt burden that it was encumbered with ten years ago.
(noun)
Definition
unwanted disused household articles
(British)
The wheels had been consigned to the loft as useless lumber.
Synonyms
junk
What are you going to do with all that junk?
refuse
a weekly collection of refuse
rubbish
unwanted household rubbish
discards
trash (US, Canadian)
The yards are overgrown and cluttered with trash.
clutter
jumble
white elephants
castoffs
trumpery
(verb)
Definition
to move awkwardly and heavily
He turned and lumbered back to his chair.
Synonyms
plod
He plodded slowly up the hill.
shuffle
She shuffled across the kitchen.
shamble
The conductor shambled to the next carriage.
trudge
We had to trudge up the track back to the station.
stump
The marshal stumped out of the room.
clump
They went clumping up the stairs to bed.
waddle
a fat woman waddling down the street
trundle
lump along
Additional synonyms
in the sense of clump
Definition
to walk or tread heavily
They went clumping up the stairs to bed.
Synonyms
stomp,
stamp,
stump,
thump,
lumber,
tramp,
plod,
thud,
clomp
in the sense of encumber
Definition
to burden with a load or with debts
The company is still labouring under the debt burden that it was encumbered with ten years ago.
Synonyms
burden,
load,
embarrass,
saddle,
oppress,
obstruct,
retard,
weigh down
in the sense of land
The other options could simply land us with more expense.
Synonyms
saddle,
trouble,
burden,
encumber,
l&
Nearby words of
lumber
lukewarm
lull
lullaby
lumber
lumbering
luminary
luminescent
Synonyms of 'lumber'
lumber
Explore 'lumber' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of refuse
Definition
anything thrown away
a weekly collection of refuse
Synonyms
rubbish,
waste,
sweepings,
junk (informal),
litter,
garbage (US),
trash,
sediment,
scum,
dross,
dregs,
leavings,
dreck (slang, US),
offscourings,
lees
in the sense of rubbish
Definition
anything worthless or of poor quality
unwanted household rubbish
Synonyms
waste,
refuse,
scrap,
junk (informal),
litter,
debris,
crap (slang),
garbage (US),
trash,
lumber (British),
offal,
dross,
dregs,
flotsam and jetsam,
grot (slang),
dreck (slang, US),
offscourings
in the sense of saddle
Definition
to burden with (a responsibility)
The war saddled the country with huge foreign debt.
Synonyms
burden,
load,
lumber (British, informal),
charge,
tax,
task,
encumber
in the sense of shamble
Definition
to walk or move along in an awkward shuffling way
The conductor shambled to the next carriage.
Synonyms
shuffle,
stumble,
lurch,
limp,
lumber,
drag your feet
in the sense of shuffle
Definition
to walk or move (the feet) with a slow dragging motion
She shuffled across the kitchen.
Synonyms
shamble,
stagger,
stumble,
lumber,
dodder
in the sense of stump
Definition
to walk with heavy steps
The marshal stumped out of the room.
Synonyms
stamp,
clump,
stomp (informal),
trudge,
plod,
clomp
in the sense of trash
Definition
unwanted objects
The yards are overgrown and cluttered with trash.
Synonyms
litter,
refuse,
waste,
rubbish,
sweepings,
junk (informal),
garbage,
dross,
dregs,
dreck (slang, US),
offscourings
in the sense of trudge
Definition
to walk or plod heavily or wearily
We had to trudge up the track back to the station.
Synonyms
plod,
trek,
tramp,
traipse (informal),
march,
stump,
hike,
clump,
lumber,
slog,
drag yourself,
yomp,
walk heavily,
footslog
in the sense of trumpery
Synonyms
nonsense,
balls (taboo, slang),
stuff,
malarkey,
bull (slang),
rubbish,
shit (taboo, slang),
pants (slang),
rot,
crap (slang),
garbage (informal),
trash,
bullshit (taboo, slang),
hot air (informal),
tosh (slang, British),
pap,
cobblers (British, taboo, slang),
foolishness,
bilge (informal),
drivel,
twaddle,
tripe (informal),
idiocy,
guff (slang),
moonshine,
claptrap (informal),
hogwash,
hokum (slang, US, Canadian),
piffle (informal),
malarkey,
poppycock (informal),
inanity,
balderdash,
bosh (informal),
eyewash (informal),
tommyrot,
foolish talk,
horsefeathers (US, slang),
bunkum or buncombe,
bizzo (Australian, slang),
bull's wool (Australian, New Zealand, slang)
in the sense of waddle
Definition
to walk with short steps, rocking slightly from side to side