lumber

¹ American  

[luhm-ber] / ˈlʌm bər /

noun

1. timber sawed or split into planks, boards, etc.

2. miscellaneous useless articles that are stored away.

---

verb (used without object)

1. to cut timber and prepare it for market.

2. to become useless or to be stored away as useless.

verb (used with object)

1. to convert (a specified amount, area, etc.) into lumber.

   We lumbered more than a million acres last year.

2. to heap together in disorder.

3. to fill up or obstruct with miscellaneous useless articles; encumber.

lumber ² American  

[luhm-ber] / ˈlʌm bər /

verb (used without object)

1. to move clumsily or heavily, especially from great or ponderous bulk.

   overloaded wagons lumbering down the dirt road.

   Synonyms:

   plod, barge, trudge

2. to make a rumbling noise.

---

lumber ¹ British  

/ ˈlʌmbə /

noun

1. 1. logs; sawn timber

   2. cut timber, esp when sawn and dressed ready for use in joinery, carpentry, etc

   3. ( as modifier )

      the lumber trade

2. 1. useless household articles that are stored away

   2. ( as modifier )

      lumber room

---

verb

1. (tr) to pile together in a disorderly manner

2. (tr) to fill up or encumber with useless household articles

3. to convert (the trees) of (a forest) into marketable timber

4. informal (tr) to burden with something unpleasant, tedious, etc

5. (tr) to arrest; imprison

lumber ² British  

/ ˈlʌmbə /

verb

1. to move awkwardly

2. an obsolete word for rumble

---

Other Word Forms

• lumberer noun
• lumberless adjective
• lumberly adjective

Etymology

Origin of lumber¹

First recorded in 1545–55; of uncertain origin; perhaps because the cut and trimmed timber was dried and seasoned in a lumber room ( def. )

Origin of lumber²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English lomeren; compare dialectal Swedish lomra “to resound, roar,” loma “to walk heavily”

Example Sentences

He also raised levies on specific items such as steel, lumber and cars and ended rules that had allowed shipments worth less than $800 to enter the country, among other measures.

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2026

Owners of Kodiak, a Colorado distributor of lumber and other building products, will receive $2 billion cash and 13.2 million shares, which QXO will retain the right to buy back at $40 per share.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026

For example, he used a different law to impose import taxes on steel, aluminum, lumber and other sectors, and those sector-based tariffs are not getting addressed in this case.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 13, 2026

This was the largest redwood lumber mill in the world, resulting in clashes with the environmental community for years.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 2, 2026

“You can take the lumber when you go back to pick up your sister at school,” he remarked.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

Related Words

• plod
• shuffle
• slog
• trudge
• trundle
• waddle