bric-a-brac

noun

plural bric-a-brac
1
: a miscellaneous collection of small articles commonly of ornamental or sentimental value : curios
2
: something suggesting bric-a-brac especially in extraneous decorative quality

Examples of bric-a-brac in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the movie, directed by Reginald Hudlin, take a turn for the fantasy/bizarre when Chris, out hunting for Christmas bric-a-brac, comes across an eccentric pop-up shop called Kringle’s that’s nestled under a concrete tangle of highway. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Dec. 2023 The hotel, once a gentlemen's boardinghouse, is a paean to louche classicism, stocked with antiques and eclectic bric-a-brac that could have been scooped up on a European Grand Tour. Betsy Blumenthal, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Nov. 2023 Throughout the flat are half-finished sculptures of busty women, bags of papers, books, bric-a-brac, passable (from a distance) replicas of military uniforms; miscellaneous items gathered and hoarded for some future use. Max Olesker, Longreads, 13 July 2023 While Joan Didion’s sunglasses and assorted bric-a-brac sold for a premium at auction last fall ($27,000 for a pair of sunglasses), her apartment, an 11-room behemoth on the Upper East Side, has not produced quite the same feverish response. Curbed, 1 June 2023 Her own work is installed alongside diaries, maps, a UFO photograph, a seaweed specimen, bookbinder tools, bric-a-brac, and various arcana. Vulture, 26 May 2023 Formal Victorian-era houses, with bay windows and bric-a-brac, populated Portland streets until pushed aside in 1900 by more casual Craftsman-style homes. Jeastman, oregonlive, 16 Apr. 2023 But Liu has a knack for evoking the rhythms of those dorm-room debates, and the use of photographic material as reference is felt in the background bric-a-brac, the way the concrete is crumbling in the corn next to worn posters of Michael Jackson and punk bands. Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 24 Feb. 2023 Antique mirrors and other bric-a-bracs still cover the windowless walls, while the filigreed ceiling still changes patterns every few feet. René A. Guzman, San Antonio Express-News, 23 Feb. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bric-a-brac.' 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

French bric-à-brac

First Known Use

1830, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bric-a-brac was in 1830

Dictionary Entries Near bric-a-brac

Cite this Entry

“Bric-a-brac.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bric-a-brac. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bric-a-brac

noun
ˈbrik-ə-ˌbrak
: small ornamental articles

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