lumbering 1 of 2

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lumbering

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verb

present participle of lumber
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as in rumbling
to make a low heavy rolling sound the horse-drawn wagon lumbered along the trail

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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
Verb
Snow White is, for better and (mostly) worse, a product of a corporation that has for years been lumbering after its idea of the Zeitgeist with all the agility of an aging colossus. Alison Willmore, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2025 And then there’s the giant Mama Creeper, the lumbering head of the pack who hulks over the protagonist Mickey (Robert Pattinson) when the two are face to face. Abigail Lee, Variety, 17 Mar. 2025 During the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong came to believe that the revolution was losing momentum because of the country’s lumbering bureaucracy. Charlie Tyson, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2025 In the case of mammoths, the company argues that having mammoth-like creatures lumbering through the Arctic would compress the snow and grass that insulates the ground, slowing the rate of permafrost thaw and the release of carbon contained in this fragile ecosystem. Katie Hunt, CNN, 4 Mar. 2025 The horse rests on the ice for a few moments before lumbering to his feet, the video shows. Brooke Baitinger, Miami Herald, 28 Feb. 2025 The lumbering animal had wandered aimlessly around the old mill and through several of the old mining shacks. Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 13 Feb. 2025 The gray form of the grizzly was lumbering down the ridge, at the outermost buildings of the ghost town. Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 13 Feb. 2025 Somehow both hyper-kinetic and lumbering, the movie at least has the distinction of being too irritating to be boring. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbering
Verb
  • But the $12 billion decline in his fortune has more to do with asset shuffling than stock price movement.
    Julie Goldenberg, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
  • James has been shuffling back and forth between the NBA and the G League.
    Benedict Cosgrove, Newsweek, 19 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The Rays led 2-0 with a chance to blow things open in the sixth inning after loading the bases with none out against Braves newcomer Rafael Montero on two walks and a single.
    David O'Brien, New York Times, 13 Apr. 2025
  • In the now-viral clip, the working breed is seen doing domestic chores—including placing shoes in a different room, tossing paper into a bin and loading laundry into a basket—after receiving verbal cues from his owner.
    Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • As legal professionals gain increasing authority over AI deployment decisions, new internal stakeholders are introduced, making the organizational process of adopting AI systems more cumbersome.
    Nizan Geslevich Packin, Forbes.com, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Like so many others, they are left with an impossible choice: involve the criminal justice system — which may be slow, cumbersome and invasive — or do nothing and hope the situation doesn’t escalate.
    Eric Gonzalez, New York Daily News, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • After easily stopping Thanos and Nam-gyu from curb-stomping Ming-gyu at lunch, In-ho earns a lot of people’s respect.
    Jennifer Zhan, Vulture, 26 Dec. 2024
  • In a similar vein, Malloy’s musical score is almost anonymously eclectic — wistful ballads, stomping pop, a smattering of EDM — but threaded through with enough strains of Russian folk and klezmer to suggest a sense of place.
    Houman Barekat, New York Times, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • That means next year is going to be a struggle for the quarterback, who is already struggling.
    Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2025
  • But because of passenger complaints and the need to revitalize a struggling tourist economy, the government adopted new regulations last month that will force a change in these habits.
    Natasha Frost, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Stopping this practice would go a long way to make college more affordable without burdening taxpayers.
    Paul Weinstein Jr., Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
  • This goal—and state—does not include divulging unnecessary personal information or burdening your team with worries and decisions that are yours to handle.
    Expert Panel®, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Bunting in particular seemed to benefit from his linemates’ efficiency in filling the net.
    Nick Ashbourne, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The Yankees signed the 38-year-old to a minor league free agent contract in February, but after a series of injuries left the defending American League champs with three holes in their five-man rotation, Carrasco pitched his way into filling one with an impressive spring training.
    Daniel R. Depetris, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The contrast with Durant’s lumpish Johnny makes no sense.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2024
  • Because both actors look like lumpish proletarian versions of Ingmar Bergman stars — Alma Pöysti, radiant yet benumbed, plays Ansa like a dish-towel Bibi Andersson, and Jussi Vatanen could be the schlump brother of Max von Sydow (with a dollop of Ryan Gosling).
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 23 May 2023

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Cite this Entry

“Lumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbering. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

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