1
as in to shuffle
to move heavily or clumsily
the elephant lumbered through the jungle
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2
as in to stumble
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
the novel's plot lumbers to its predictable conclusion after 500 long pages
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3
4
as in to load
to place a weight or burden on
preparations that will lumber the expedition with unnecessary equipment and supplies
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Examples of lumber in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 15 Aug. 2024
Because the repairs are done free of charge, Conger said most of the process is taken up by fundraising to pay for lumber, hardware, paint and more, but the other biggest part is finding the residents.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 11 July 2024
Martin Weil, Washington Post, 21 July 2024
Congress is a lumbering beast of a place, deeply polarized and highly antagonistic, and Porter said there’s little desire by leaders of either major party to fix that.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lumber 
Noun
That led to sluggish sales for building materials, lumber and construction-related equipment.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 15 Aug. 2024
Because the repairs are done free of charge, Conger said most of the process is taken up by fundraising to pay for lumber, hardware, paint and more, but the other biggest part is finding the residents.
—Kylie Martin, Detroit Free Press, 11 July 2024
Verb
The sensation was enhanced by the thick gray clouds that lumbered across the sky, dark billows that seemed destined to unleash great torrents, but in many places, at least, never quite did.
—Martin Weil, Washington Post, 21 July 2024
Congress is a lumbering beast of a place, deeply polarized and highly antagonistic, and Porter said there’s little desire by leaders of either major party to fix that.
—Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for lumber
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lumber.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Lumber.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumber. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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