1
as in shambling
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in plodding
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
1
as in shuffling
to move heavily or clumsily
the elephant lumbered through the jungle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbling
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually
the novel's plot lumbers to its predictable conclusion after 500 long pages
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in loading
to place a weight or burden on
preparations that will lumber the expedition with unnecessary equipment and supplies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of lumbering
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
David Hickey,
NBC news,
30 June 2026
The invaders’ command-and-control systems were lumbering even before Ukraine began attacking them in earnest.
—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2026
Kyle Schwarber was lumbering toward home plate.
—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
The sight of the lumbering actor wearing track clothes and sitting cross-legged while listening to a soothing relaxation tape on headphones is priceless.
—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
22 June 2026
The tractor was still lumbering forward but without me attached to it.
—
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
Flocks of tourists maneuvered around lumbering delivery trucks, hawked to by distributors of seemingly unlicensed 2026 Knicks championship gear.
—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
18 June 2026
These flights from Perth to Sri Lanka and on to London (in four days) were, made from 1943 to 1945 using lumbering PBY Catalina flying boats.
—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Ahead, a wildlife expert shares effective ways to deter these lumbering visitors.
—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
Adjective
The Cubs players continued to taunt Ruth at every opportunity, and a big one came their way in the bottom of the fourth inning when Jurges slashed a sinking liner into right field and the lumbering, top-heavy Babe muffed a shoestring catch.
—
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
Verb
Kaishu Sano gave the Samurai Blue the lead in the 29th minute with his first international goal, swooping past a lumbering Casemiro before firing low to goalkeeper Alisson’s right from the edge of the box.
—
David Hickey,
NBC news,
30 June 2026
The invaders’ command-and-control systems were lumbering even before Ukraine began attacking them in earnest.
—
Phillips Payson O’Brien,
The Atlantic,
30 June 2026
Kyle Schwarber was lumbering toward home plate.
—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
26 June 2026
The sight of the lumbering actor wearing track clothes and sitting cross-legged while listening to a soothing relaxation tape on headphones is priceless.
—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
22 June 2026
The tractor was still lumbering forward but without me attached to it.
—
Literary Hub,
22 June 2026
Flocks of tourists maneuvered around lumbering delivery trucks, hawked to by distributors of seemingly unlicensed 2026 Knicks championship gear.
—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
18 June 2026
These flights from Perth to Sri Lanka and on to London (in four days) were, made from 1943 to 1945 using lumbering PBY Catalina flying boats.
—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Ahead, a wildlife expert shares effective ways to deter these lumbering visitors.
—
Michelle Mastro,
Martha Stewart,
13 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbering
Adjective
-
With almost no plan, Sonny makes a shambling attempt at an armed robbery, only to end up trapped in the bank with the manager and five female tellers as his hostages.
-
One rarely gains a sense of what people look like (beyond the son’s bulky physique and shambling movements, in which the mother ‘caught a flash of her brother’).
Adjective
-
Brunson was too small (6-foot-2), not long enough (with a 6-foot-4 wingspan) and too plodding.
-
Neither is known for having much of an off-the-dribble game that could hurt the plodding Porzingis or Horford.
Verb
-
Enola dutifully trudges between clues and possibilities, shuffling through crime scenes and racing around shady spaces, all of this much more paint-by-numbers than connect-the-dots.
-
Colombia is trying its luck from distance, but Costa has been equal to each shot, first punching away Jefferson Lerma's rocket from the right, about 25 yards out, and then shuffling his feet to his left and catching Jhon Arias's shot from about the same distance.
Verb
-
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has also fallen foul of Germany’s World Cup elimination by Paraguay, after stumbling into a social media debacle following a communications blunder.
-
There's been some stumbling plays, thwarted by tripping and dramatic falls.
Verb
-
This ground beef casserole will satisfy all the rumbling stomachs at your table.
-
The house sits on a road tucked alongside a steep railroad embankment, where tracks carry rumbling trains to a rail yard in the village of fewer than 1,000 residents.
Verb
-
Cihlar recommends beginners avoid loading up too soon, while men who are already regularly active and lift weights can typically handle a 20- or 30-pound plate from the start.
-
How to Start Rucking Safely Experts recommend conditioning the body before loading up a pack, especially for men over 40 returning to exercise.
Adjective
-
June’s tepid hiring comes after a relative surge in job gains the previous three months, countering concerns that the war in Iran would trip up an already wobbly labor market.
-
Basic, an obscure album of oddball electronic rhythms and supremely wobbly guitar released in 1984 by Lou Reed collaborators Robert Quine and Fred Maher.
Adjective
-
Those habits feel cumbersome when a technology is evolving by the month.
-
That tendency, which may have been with us since the Stone Age, today serves the interests of our cumbersome friends in the Florida Everglades.
Cite this Entry
“Lumbering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbering. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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