lumbered

verb

past tense of lumber
1
as in shuffled
to move heavily or clumsily the elephant lumbered through the jungle

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stumbled
to proceed or act clumsily or ineffectually the novel's plot lumbers to its predictable conclusion after 500 long pages

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in rumbled
to make a low heavy rolling sound the horse-drawn wagon lumbered along the trail

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4
as in loaded
to place a weight or burden on preparations that will lumber the expedition with unnecessary equipment and supplies

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 lumbered Travis Bazzana lumbered through August, seemingly striking the proverbial rookie wall. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 The man in the suit who lumbered around in the background of their lives. — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026 When the other train finally emerged through the inferno and lumbered past them, the camera man couldn’t help but exclaim. — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 15 July 2026 Quietly reading my book without another soul around, a family of four lumbered up with their wagon filled with chairs, toys, an umbrella, and a cooler. — Susan B. Barnes, Southern Living, 14 July 2026 Just before Megna spoke in the hallway outside the Eagles locker room, Gagne lumbered by on crutches. — Corey Masisak, Denver Post, 11 June 2026 Many experts had thought sharks didn't exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before this sleeper shark lumbered warily and briefly into the spotlight of a video camera, researcher Alan Jamieson said this week. — CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026 Many experts had thought sharks didn’t exist in the frigid waters of Antarctica before this sleeper shark lumbered warily and briefly into the spotlight of a video camera, researcher Alan Jamieson said this week. — ABC News, 17 Feb. 2026 Robinson said he was also cut off from food stamps in November as the longest government shutdown in history lumbered on. — Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lumbered
  1. shuffled
  2. stumbled
  3. rumbled
  4. loaded
  5. stomped
  6. struggled
  7. growled
  8. saddled
Verb
  • In the midst of the rush to finish my syllabi and opening week assignments, as my husband shuffled the kids into their sneakers and Crocs and the car for one last back-to-school outing, everything stopped.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Oct. 2026
  • There was the sound of the occasional slipper scraping across the carpet as players and coaches shuffled from the showers.
    — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of shuffled
Verb
  • Kore-eda stumbled on the manga in a bookshop rather than through its serial run.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Jessica Koslow stumbled upon them at another shop, Virgil Normal, resulting in a collaboration with her restaurant Sqirl.
    — Stephanie Breijo, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of stumbled
Verb
  • Pardo watched as another adult elephant, likely Matisse’s sister, rumbled from a distance before the family came together, uniting with another series of rumbles, as if saying hello.
    — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The plane rumbled down the runway, picking up speed towards the roiling sea.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of rumbled
Verb
  • San Diego could have done even more damage that inning, but Manny Machado grounded out to leave the bases loaded.
    — Steve Megargee, Chicago Tribune, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Ship tracking data shows that the Grace likely loaded the fuel in Panama.
    — Nora Gámez Torres, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of loaded
Verb
  • As a result, the Great Lawn had to be shut down two months ealier for repairs and resodding after tens of thousands of concertgoers stomped it into a muddy mess.
    — Lincoln Anderson, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Letter writers recalled how Paden saved his father’s life when a cow nearly stomped him to death in a field, after the elder Paden came between the cow and her calf.
    — Glenn Rice, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of stomped
Verb
  • The Chiefs struggled in short-yard situations in the first quarter, which could have been a coincidence.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Willis also struggled, completing only nine passes for 85 yards.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggled
Verb
  • Since then, Barkley has growled at several other people, and all but one have been diagnosed with some type of cancer, Dozier said.
    — Becca Savransky, Idaho Statesman, 11 Aug. 2026
  • At the other end of our road, the cranes of the docks loomed — great Stothert and Pitt machines that growled overhead like something out of Star Wars, guarding the scale and mystery of the River Thames.
    — Lee Clayton, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of growled
Verb
  • Liliom obviously could have made different choices and not saddled Julie with a child and unimaginable grief.
    — Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2026
  • New York — The Iran war has saddled Americans with a massive energy bill that continues to mount as the conflict drags on.
    — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of saddled

Browse Nearby Words

lumber
lumbered
lumberer
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Cite this Entry

“Lumbered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lumbered. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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