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Glite Dictionary
to lumber with

to lumber with

7.7
To move slowly and awkwardly while carrying something heavy
  • phrasal verb
  • /ˈlʌmbər wɪð/
translation icon : moverse torpemente
  • He lumbered with the heavy boxes up the stairs, struggling to keep his balance.

Examples

  • She lumbered with the oversized backpack on her shoulders, feeling every step more challenging than the last.

  • The workers lumbered with the large wooden beams, making it difficult to navigate around the construction site.

  • We'll be lumbered with him all night.

    Goldfish Memory (2003)

Synonyms

to cart
vsto lumber with
36 2.3

To carry something, often heavy, from one place to another

highlights awkward, heavy motion occurring while carrying an item
to tote
vsto lumber with
  • US
30 6.0

To carry something heavy or awkward

emphasizes the clumsy or heavy movement that results from carrying
to lug
vsto lumber with
21 4.4

To carry or drag something heavy with effort

moves clumsily or heavily because of carrying something awkward
to lumber
vsto lumber with
18 4.6

To move slowly with heavy awkward steps

adds that the awkward motion often happens because of carrying something
to pound
vsto lumber with
11 3.1

To walk with heavy noisy steps that make a loud sound

focuses on clumsy heavy movement specifically linked to carrying objects
to schlep
vsto lumber with
  • Slang
7 9.9

To carry something heavy or awkward with effort

is about moving awkwardly or heavily often caused by carrying
to shamble
vsto lumber with
4 7.9

To walk awkwardly while dragging your feet

is similar but typically results from carrying something awkward or heavy
to pull along
vsto lumber with
4 3.0

To move something by dragging it with effort

describes awkward heavy walking that happens when carrying or dragging
to stump
vsto lumber with
2 5.9

To walk with heavy noisy steps that show effort or anger

adds that the heavy, clumsy walking often comes from carrying something
lumbering
vsto lumber with
1 5.0

Moving slowly and heavily in an awkward way

is similar but stresses that carrying can cause the clumsy movement
to galumph
vsto lumber with
  • Informal
1 9.9

To move in a heavy, noisy, and clumsy way

is about clumsy heavy movement that often results from carrying things
to shlep
vsto lumber with
  • Slang
9.9

To carry or pull something with effort when it is heavy

focuses on clumsy movement specifically due to carrying an object

Antonyms

to glide
89 2.9

To move smoothly and without effort through the air or over a surface

sprint
55 2.1

A short, very fast run over a small distance

How Heavy

to lumber with
7.7
to trudge
21 5.5
to stagger
49 4.0
to shuffle
45 3.8
to walk
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

lumber with infinitive
lumbered with past
lumbered with past participle
lumbering with present participle
lumbers with third person singular

Morphology

lumber + with

The meaning is directly compositional: 'lumber' means to move in a slow, heavy, awkward way and 'with' marks accompaniment/possession (i.e. carrying something), so a learner who knows both constituents can infer 'to move clumsily while carrying X'. The construction is a regular verb + preposition pattern (not idiomatic) and is cross-linguistically transparent, so it should be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the words.

Etymology

Lumber with gives the image of someone moving slowly and clumsily while carrying something heavy or awkward, as if they must lumber while holding a load with them. That's why it means 'to move clumsily or heavily, often because of carrying something'.