n. 1. a. Trees or wooded land considered as a source of wood. b. Wood used as a building material; lumber. 2. a. A dressed piece of wood, especially a beam in a structure. b. Nautical A rib in a ship's frame. 3. A person considered to have qualities suited for a particular activity: That trainee is executive timber. tr.v. tim·bered, tim·ber·ing, tim·bers To support or frame with timbers: timber a mine shaft. interj. Used by one cutting down a tree to warn those around that the tree is about to fall. [Middle English, from Old English, building, trees for building; see dem- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.