brick-and-mortar

adjective

brick-and-mor·​tar ˈbrik-ən(d)-ˈmȯr-tər 

variants or bricks-and-mortar

: relating to or being a traditional business serving customers in a building as contrasted to an online business

a brick-and-mortar store

Examples of brick-and-mortar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Trump has brought his penchant for real estate development to the White House (just look at the East Wing), perhaps explaining his focus on the Fed’s brick-and-mortar activities. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026

Audiophiles of all ages and backgrounds gather at local brick-and-mortar stores to celebrate physical media, often standing in line for hours to get first crack at one of hundreds of live albums, singles and reissues. —John Wenzel, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026

But as buying habits shifted across the 20th century, Sears's brick-and-mortar sales eclipsed the catalog. —Domenica Bongiovanni, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026

Running a brick-and-mortar, however, has brought a different kind of education to Yee. —Brock Keeling, Oc Register, 14 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for brick-and-mortar

• colporteur
• exporter
• headquarter
• importer
• reporter
• supporter
• transporter
• mortar
• quarter
• shorter
• sorter