lumber

/ˈlʌmbər/

/ˈlʌmbə/

Other forms: lumbering; lumbered; lumbers

Do you move clumsily, heavily and slowly, without a shred of grace? Then it sounds like you might lumber. Sorry to hear that.

Lots of other words and phrases are associated with our friend lumber. Particularly large or tall people are almost inevitably said to lumber, as the common phrase "lumbering giant," attests. You never hear of a tip-toeing giant, but some of them must. Lumberjack, meaning someone who cuts down trees, is another. Often lumber, in the sense of planks of wood, is interchangeable with the word timber.

Definitions of lumber

1. noun

   the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material
   synonyms: timber

   types:

   stock

   lumber used in the construction of something

   strip

   thin piece of wood or metal

   board, plank

   a stout length of sawn timber; made in a wide variety of sizes and used for many purposes

   planking

   planks collectively; a quantity of planks

   batten

   a strip fixed to something to hold it firm

   cleat

   a strip of wood or metal used to strengthen the surface to which it is attached

   fingerboard

   a narrow strip of wood on the neck of some stringed instruments (violin or cello or guitar etc) where the strings are held against the wood with the fingers

   furring, furring strip

   strip used to give a level surface for attaching wallboard

   jackstraw, spillikin

   a thin strip of wood used in playing the game of jackstraws

   matchboard

   a board that has a groove cut into one edge and a tongue cut into the other so they fit tightly together (as in a floor)

   pale, picket

   a wooden strip forming part of a fence

   skid

   one of a pair of planks used to make a track for rolling or sliding objects

   slat, spline

   a thin strip (wood or metal)

   spline

   a flexible strip (wood or rubber) used in drawing curved lines

   toothpick

   pick consisting of a small strip of wood or plastic; used to pick food from between the teeth

   strake, wale

   thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship

   chipboard, hardboard

   a cheap hard material made from wood chips that are pressed together and bound with synthetic resin

   deal

   a plank of softwood (fir or pine board)

   type of:

   building material

   material used for constructing buildings
2. verb

   cut lumber, as in woods and forests
   synonyms: log

   type of:

   cut down, drop, fell, strike down

   cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
3. verb

   move heavily or clumsily
   “The heavy man lumbered across the room”

   synonyms: pound

   type of:

   walk

   use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
4. noun

   an implement used in baseball by the batter
   synonyms: baseball bat

   type of:

   baseball equipment

   equipment used in playing baseball

   bat

   a club used for hitting a ball in various games