What does "timber" mean?
Trees in a forest regarded as a source of wood.
Timber
/ˈtɪmbə/ intj, noun, verb, slang
intj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Trees in a forest regarded as a source of wood.
- Grammar: timber is listed as intj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: forest, lumber, woodland, afforestation.
- Useful contrasts: brick, calm, desert.
- Usage evidence: Large amounts of timber are used in paper making.
How to use "timber"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "timber" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- 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 "timber" 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 "timber" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "timber" 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 "timber" is acting as intj, 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 "forest" 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 "timber", 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 Trees in a forest regarded as a source of wood. uncountable
"collect timber"
- 2 a beam made of wood wordnet
- 3 Wood that has been pre-cut and is ready for use in construction. US, uncountable
- 4 a post made of wood wordnet
- 5 A heavy wooden beam, generally a whole log that has been squared off and used to provide heavy support for something such as a roof. countable
"the timbers of a ship"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound) wordnet
- 7 Material for any structure. countable, uncountable
- 8 land that is covered with trees and shrubs wordnet
- 9 The wooden stock of a rifle or shotgun. countable, informal, uncountable
- 10 the wood of trees cut and prepared for use as building material wordnet
- 11 A certain quantity of fur skins (as of martens, ermines, sables, etc.) packed between boards; in some cases forty skins, in others one hundred and twenty. Also timmer, timbre. archaic, countable, uncountable
- 12 The stumps. countable, slang, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To fit with timbers. transitive
"timbering a roof"
- 2 To construct, frame, build. obsolete, transitive
"For many heads that undertake [learning], were never squared nor timbred for it."
- 3 To light or land on a tree. intransitive
- 4 To make a nest. obsolete
- 5 To surmount as a timber does. transitive
Intj
- 1 Used by loggers to warn others that a tree being felled is falling.
"From the core of the trunk come explosive cracks sounding like rifle-fire. The top of the tree begins swaying drunkenly, as if struggling to keep on its feet. The warning cry "Timber!""
- 2 By extension, a cry used when anything is falling over.
"The cameras caught the big man crashing to the studio floor. It seemed to take an age for Sticks to hit the deck and as he went down we all chorused "Timberrrr!""
Example
"Large amounts of timber are used in paper making."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "timber"?
Common synonyms include: forest, lumber, woodland, afforestation, arboretum, balk.
How do you use "timber" in a sentence?
Large amounts of timber are used in paper making.
How do you pronounce "timber"?
Pronounced /ˈtɪmbə/.
Etymology
From Middle English tymber, from Old English timber, from Proto-West Germanic *timr, from Proto-Germanic *timrą, from Proto-Indo-European *dem- (“build, house”) (see Proto-Indo-European *dṓm). Cognates include Dutch timmer, Old High German zimbar (German Zimmer), Norwegian tømmer, Old Norse timbr, Gothic 𐍄𐌹𐌼𐍂𐌾𐌰𐌽 (timrjan, “to build”), Latin domus and Ancient Greek δόμος (dómos).