Log

/lɒɡ/ name, noun, verb, slang

name, noun, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The trunk of a dead tree, cleared of branches.
  • Grammar: log is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
  • Nearest alternatives: logarithm, accelerometer, account book, accounting.
  • Useful contrasts: antilog, antilogarithm, crottle.
  • Usage evidence: The writer is living in a log cabin.

How to use "log"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "log" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "log" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "log" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "log" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "log" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "logarithm" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "log", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The trunk of a dead tree, cleared of branches.

    "They walked across the stream on a fallen log."

  2. 2
    A logbook, or journal of a vessel's (or aircraft's) progress.

    "The captain sat down to his log, and here is the beginning of the entry:..."

  3. 3
    A Hebrew unit of liquid volume (about ¹⁄₃ liter). historical

    "...and one log of oil..."

  4. 4
    Synonym of logarithm.

    "To multiply two numbers, add their logs."

  5. 5
    measuring instrument that consists of a float that trails from a ship by a knotted line in order to measure the ship's speed through the water wordnet
Show 17 more definitions
  1. 6
    Any bulky piece as cut from the above, used as timber, fuel etc.

    "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, "Let me take the speck out of your eye," and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."

  2. 7
    A chronological record of actions, performances, computer/network usage, etc.
  3. 8
    A difference of one in the logarithm, usually in base 10; an order of magnitude.

    "During the first 24 hr, however, titers of the lightly piliated organisms in the kidney increased by 4 logs, whereas the heavily piliated P. mirabilis were virtually all eliminated."

  4. 9
    a written record of events on a voyage (of a ship or plane) wordnet
  5. 10
    A unit of length equivalent to 16 feet, used for measuring timber, especially the trunk of a tree.
  6. 11
    Specifically, an append-only sequential record of events written to a file, display, or other data stream.
  7. 12
    a written record of messages sent or received wordnet
  8. 13
    Anything shaped like a log; a cylinder.

    "[…] it was a thing of sinuous durability, wound around the spirit like a tapeworm around a log of shit."

  9. 14
    the exponent required to produce a given number wordnet
  10. 15
    A floating device, usually of wood, used in navigation to estimate the speed of a vessel through water.

    "1659, Navigation by the Mariners Plain Scale New Plain'd, by John Collins Every Noon the Master and his Mates take the reckoning off the Log-board, and double the Knots run, and then divide the Product, which is the number of Miles run by three, the quotient is the Leagues run since the former Noon, and according to custom the Log is thrown every two hours, and I never knew the course nearer expressed on the Log-board, then to half a point of the Compass."

  11. 16
    a segment of the trunk of a tree when stripped of branches wordnet
  12. 17
    A blockhead; a very stupid person. figuratively
  13. 18
    A heavy longboard. slang

    "1999, Neal Miyake https://web.archive.org/web/20060530122555/http://www.iav.com/~sponge/sesh/new2/sesh213.htm I know he hadn’t surfed on a log much in his childhood"

  14. 19
    A rolled cake with filling. figuratively
  15. 20
    A weight or block near the free end of a hoisting rope to prevent it from being drawn through the sheave.
  16. 21
    A piece of feces, especially a relatively long, solid one, resembling a tree log. vulgar
  17. 22
    A penis. vulgar
Verb
  1. 1
    To cut trees into logs. transitive
  2. 2
    To make, to add an entry (or more) in a log or logbook. transitive

    "to log the miles travelled by a ship"

  3. 3
    To log out; to disconnect from an online video game. transitive

    "A few times a year, the yeshiva held study competitions to see who could log the most hours learning, and students would study for hours and hours without stopping for anything."

  4. 4
    To move to and fro; to rock. obsolete
  5. 5
    enter into a log, as on ships and planes wordnet
Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    To cut down (trees). transitive

    "Since the mid-1980s, when Indonesia first began to clear its bountiful forests on an industrial scale in favour of lucrative palm-oil plantations, “haze” has become an almost annual occurrence in South-East Asia. The cheapest way to clear logged woodland is to burn it, producing an acrid cloud of foul white smoke that, carried by the wind, can cover hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles."

  2. 7
    To travel (a distance) as shown in a logbook. transitive
  3. 8
    cut lumber, as in woods and forests wordnet
  4. 9
    To cut down trees in an area, harvesting and transporting the logs as wood. intransitive
  5. 10
    To travel at a specified speed, as ascertained by a chip log. transitive
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    Lamb of God, an American groove metal band.

Synonyms

All synonyms
logarithmaccelerometeraccount bookaccountingaccountsaccounts payable ledger

Example

"The writer is living in a log cabin."

Common questions

What does "log" mean?

The trunk of a dead tree, cleared of branches.

What is a synonym for "log"?

Common synonyms include: logarithm, accelerometer, account book, accounting, accounts, accounts payable ledger.

How do you use "log" in a sentence?

The writer is living in a log cabin.

How do you pronounce "log"?

Pronounced /lɒɡ/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English logge, logg (first recorded in Anglo-Latin as loggum), of uncertain origin, but probably from Old Norse lóg, lág (“felled tree, log”), derived from Old Norse liggja (“to lie”). If so, then cognate with Norwegian låg (“fallen tree”), Dutch loog (“wood, timber, lumber”). Alternatively, directly from Norwegian låg (“fallen tree”), which could have been borrowed through the Norwegian timber trade. However the Old Norse/Middle Norwegian vowel is long while Middle English vowel is short.

Etymology 2

Clipping of logbook, itself from log (etymology 1) + book, from a wooden float (chip log) used to measure speed.

Etymology 3

Ellipsis of log out, itself from Etymology 2.

Etymology 4

From Hebrew לֹג.

Etymology 5

A clipping of logarithm.

Etymology 6

Initialism.

More for "log"

Synonyms

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