brick

1 of 2

noun

often attributive
1
plural bricks or brick : a handy-sized unit of building or paving material typically being rectangular and about 2¹/₄ × 3³/₄ × 8 inches (57 × 95 × 203 millimeters) and made of moist clay hardened by heat
2
: a good-hearted person
3
: a rectangular compressed mass (as of ice cream)
4
: a semisoft cheese with numerous small holes, smooth texture, and often mild flavor
5
: gaffe, blunder
used especially in the phrase drop a brick
6
: a badly missed shot in basketball
he threw up a brick

brick

2 of 2

verb

bricked; bricking; bricks

transitive verb

1
: to close, face, or pave with bricks
usually used with up, in, or over
brick up a doorway
brick over an opening
2
: to render (an electronic device, such as a smartphone) nonfunctional (as by accidental damage, malicious hacking, or software changes)
… those who dared hack the phone to add features … risked having it "bricked"—completely and permanently disabled—on the next automatic update …Jonathan Zittrain
3
basketball, informal : to miss (a shot) very badly : to throw up a brick on (a shot) (see brick entry 1 sense 6)
brick a free throw

Examples of brick in a Sentence

Noun a house made of brick a brick of ice cream children playing with wooden bricks He has been an absolute brick.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Are the bricks in the photo the smoking guns they’ve been made out to be? Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 13 Mar. 2024 Last week, each of the approximately 40,000 premium members of Church’s fan club received a deed to a physical (and virtual brick) in his Nashville bar, part of Church’s campaign to create a new kind of artist-fan community. Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 12 Mar. 2024 With its tall stature and Victorian architecture, the house stands out among the predominantly brick ranch-style homes and occasional two-story structures in most of Warren's subdivisions. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 10 Mar. 2024 Highlights include a stylish living room displaying an oversized wood-burning brick fireplace with a floating hearth, plus sliding glass doors spilling out to a fenced wraparound deck overlooking the Pacific. Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024 Dark brick will populate the facade, while the balconies on each unit will boast custom, ornamental copper metalwork to add texture and shine to the building. The Enquirer, 7 Mar. 2024 Local authorities have now ordered the site be reconstructed brick by brick. Claire Moses, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 It’s made to be perched atop your head and, thanks to a sound brick, will deem what house you’re fated to. Melissa Epifano, EW.com, 1 Mar. 2024 The kitchen is decked out with reclaimed antique Belgian brick, marble countertops, and top-of-the-line appliances from Sub-Zero, Wolf, and Miele. Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
The best weapon against Bluto Ball is to keep your head, box out, avoid getting baited and let The Undertaker methodically brick himself into an early grave. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, 31 Jan. 2024 To the east in Bossier Parish, several sheriff’s deputies guarded the Johnson family’s stucco and brick two-story home. Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 29 Oct. 2023 Yum China Holdings, which owns KFC and Pizza Hut, plans to use AI to better connect online orders to brick and mortar stores. Hanna Zakharenko, Washington Post, 24 Aug. 2023 Alternately scalding and caressing the darkness, Curran’s designs glare across and define a space that is empty but for three ladders and five vertical lighting bars across the Almeida Theatre’s signature curved, brick back wall. David Benedict, Variety, 15 June 2023 For a half, the double-teaming worked, the Lakers forcing the ball out of his hands and to his teammates, who proceeded to brick open three-point try after open three-point try. Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times, 25 Dec. 2022 But the role of the store continues to evolve dramatically and brick-and-mortar locations that cannot demonstrate a clear reason for being are becoming increasingly irrelevant (see moderate department stores, Bed, Bath & Beyond, et al). Steve Dennis, Forbes, 25 Jan. 2023 From inside the gates, the N.I.H. looks like any suburban college campus: rolling green hills, a busy shuttle bus, a smattering of buildings, mainly brick, with no especially coherent architectural theme. Beverly Gage, The New Yorker, 23 Jan. 2023 Burly backup center Robin Lopez checked in to give Cleveland an extra rebounder, as Mitchell was planning to intentionally brick the next freebie. Chris Fedor, cleveland, 3 Jan. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brick.' 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 bryke, from Middle Dutch bricke

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brick was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near brick

Cite this Entry

“Brick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brick. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

brick

1 of 2 noun
1
a
plural bricks or brick : a building or paving material made from clay molded into blocks and baked
b
: a block made of brick
2
: a block shaped like a brick
a brick of ice cream
3
: a semisoft mild-flavored cheese
4
: a badly missed shot in basketball

brick

2 of 2 verb
1
: to close, face, or pave with bricks
2
: to cause (an electronic device) to become nonfunctional (as by damage, hacking, or software changes)

More from Merriam-Webster on brick

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!