Meaning & use
timber
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Meanings
noununcountable
Wood that has been cut and prepared for building or carpentry.
Grammar: No plural when it means the material: a pile of timber.
Patterns
- timber for building
- a piece of timber
The roof is supported by heavy timber.
They bought timber to build a shed.
This timber is too wet to use.
noununcountable
Trees that are grown to be cut for wood.
Grammar: Often used in business or forestry contexts: a timber company.
Patterns
- timber industry
- timber forest
The region is known for its timber.
They work in the timber trade.
nouncountable
A large piece of wood used in building, especially a beam.
Grammar: Can be plural: timbers.
Patterns
- a timber beam
- wooden timbers
The old timbers creaked in the wind.
They replaced the damaged timber.
Word forms
| plural | timbers |
|---|
Common combinations
- timber industry
- The timber industry provides many local jobs.
- timber frame
- The house has a timber frame.
- hardwood timber
- Hardwood timber is more expensive.
- timber yard
- We ordered the boards from a timber yard.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- timbered adjective
- Having wooden beams or many trees.
Commonly confused: timber or lumber?
timber vs lumber
In American English, lumber is wood cut into boards, while timber often means standing trees or heavy wood.
Practice
Fill in the blank: The cabin was built from local ___.
Choose one answer.
Timber as a material is uncountable, so no article or plural is used; timbers would refer to individual beams, which does not fit here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “timber”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.