timber

1 of 2

noun

tim·​ber ˈtim-bər How to pronounce timber (audio)
1
a
: growing trees or their wood
b
used interjectionally to warn of a falling tree
2
: wood suitable for building or for carpentry
3
a
: a large squared or dressed piece of wood ready for use or forming part of a structure
b
British : lumber sense 2a
c
: a curving frame branching outward from the keel of a ship and bending upward in a vertical direction that is usually composed of several pieces united : rib
4
: material, stuff
especially : a person or type of person qualified for a particular position or status
managerial timber
timber adjective

timber

2 of 2

verb

timbered; timbering ˈtim-b(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce timber (audio)

transitive verb

: to frame, cover, or support with timbers

Did you know?

Timber and Timbre

Timber and timbre are two similar-looking words that appear in very different contexts. At least most of the time.

Timber traces back to an Old English word initially meaning “house” or “building” that also came to mean “building material,” “wood,” and “trees” or “woods.” Timbers are large squared lengths of wood used for building a house or a boat. In British English, timber is also used as a synonym for lumber.

Metaphorical senses followed after centuries of the word’s use: the word used for building material became a word meaning “material” or “stuff” in general (“it’s best-seller timber”) and came also to refer to the qualities of character, experience, or intellect (“managerial timber”).

And, of course, there’s also the interjectional use of “timber!” as a cry to warn of a falling tree; the fact that most people know this despite few of them ever having deployed the word in such a situation is almost certainly due to cartoons.

Timbre is French in origin, which is apparent in its pronunciation: it is often pronounced \TAM-ber\ and, with a more French-influenced second syllable, \TAM-bruh\. The French ancestor of timbre was borrowed at three different times into English, each time with a different meaning, each time reflecting the evolution that the word had made in French.

The first two meanings timbre had in English (it referred to a kind of drum and to the crest on a coat of arms) are now too obscure for entry in this dictionary, but its third meaning survives. Timbre in modern English generally refers to the quality of a sound made by a particular voice or musical instrument; timbre is useful in being distinct from pitch, intensity, and loudness as a descriptor of sound.

But because English is rarely simple about such things, we have also these facts: timber is listed as a variant spelling of timbre. And timbre may also be correctly pronounced just like timber as \TIM-ber\. And the spelling of timber was unsettled for many years; it was sometimes spelled tymmer, tymber, and, yes, timbre. The messy overlapping of these similar words is coincidental: the consequence of the intersection of the different cultures and languages that left their traces on English.

Examples of timber in a Sentence

Noun upon our approach the deer disappeared back into the timber from whence it had come needed a new load of timber to finish building the house
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This week, Rex sits down with one of The Natural State's leading authorities in the timber industry, Ray Dillon, who formerly served as President and CEO of the Deltic Timber Corporation. Rex Nelson, arkansasonline.com, 8 Mar. 2024 The seawalls are built of wooden timbers laid between steel support columns. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Mar. 2024 Congo is rich in natural resources: rubber, timber, oil, gas, gold, diamonds, copper, lithium, coltan, and cobalt. Amel Mukhtar, Vogue, 5 Mar. 2024 The development will feature the township's first natural play area constructed from timber repurposed from the site, expected to serve as the recreational hub of the neighborhood. The Enquirer, 1 Mar. 2024 Courtesy Evelyn Booker Today, some of the siblings earn money from the timber on their land, and the entire family rents some of the land to local farmers. Patrice Gaines, NBC News, 16 Feb. 2024 For example, each façade is clad in vertical timber fins that not only provide a dramatic design element but also help to control the internal temperatures and glare from the sun. Emma Reynolds, Robb Report, 17 Jan. 2024 The animals are spread across the state from the open prairies to the dense timber in the mountains. Jace Bauserman, Field & Stream, 29 Feb. 2024 The monks and settlers cut native stone and timber to construct the first building on site. Curtis Varnell The Timepiece, arkansasonline.com, 25 Feb. 2024
Verb
The town of Apex provided wood used to build the railroad, timber the mines and construct the resorts along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 17 Jan. 2024 Trees cover more than two-thirds of Sweden’s landscape, making the country more suited to timber construction than, say, the tree-sparse Middle East. William Booth, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2023 Permanent carbon forests must remain planted with trees, and timber forestry that earns carbon credits is required to replant trees after they are harvested — typically at Year 28 — or face a financial penalty. Serena Solomon, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2022 The future acting great was born Angela Brigid Lansbury on Oct. 16, 1925, in London, the daughter of actor Moyna Macgill and timber executive Edgar Lansbury. David K. Li, NBC News, 11 Oct. 2022 Sales of construction and timber harvesting equipment climbed 8% as profit increased by 11%. Bob Tita and Connor Hart, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 That determines whether the state maintains its Forest Stewardship Council certification, which makes Wisconsin timber sales more competitive. Tanka Dhakal, Journal Sentinel, 5 Sep. 2022 The Arts & Crafts style interior features dark brown wood floors, timber joinery and bench-tops and tons of thoughtful touches. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 3 Aug. 2022 Brick and timber low-rise buildings with ample natural light, garden space, high ceilings, ease of ingress and egress and amenities including gyms and dog parks are in. Hadley Meares, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 June 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'timber.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English, building, wood; akin to Old High German zimbar wood, room, Greek demein to build, domos course of stones or bricks

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of timber was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near timber

Cite this Entry

“Timber.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/timber. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

timber

noun
tim·​ber
ˈtim-bər
1
a
: growing trees or their wood
b
used interjectionally to warn of a falling tree
2
: wood for use in making something
3
: a usually large piece of wood squared or finished for use
timber adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on timber

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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