Illustration of mortar
- M mortar
- P pestle
1
: a sturdy vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed with a pestle
crushed the seeds in a mortar
2
[Middle French mortier]
a
: a portable muzzle-loading weapon having a tube short in relation to its caliber (see caliber sense 2b) that is used to throw bombs at high angles
mortars fired at the enemy positions
b
: any of several similar firing devices
: a plastic building material (such as a mixture of cement, lime, or gypsum plaster with sand and water) that hardens and is used in masonry or plastering
mortarless
adjective
mortared; mortaring; mortars
: to plaster or make fast with mortar
Examples of mortar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Apr. 2024
At the Monday night hearing, Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling interjected to clarify that the regulations were not brought forth because of complaints from brick and mortar restaurants.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2024
From a morning visit to a local market to buy the freshest vegetables and herbs to pounding green curry paste in a mortar and pestle to making mango sticky rice, my foodie family couldn’t be happier.
—Tanvi Chheda, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2024
Piles of empty bullet shells and the remnants of at least one mortar lie on the ground.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Construction tools were discovered in several rooms, including tools to prepare mortar and pull up a vertical wall.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2024
Ukraine also builds its own mortar rounds and Soviet-standard 122mm and 152mm artillery shells.
—David L. Stern, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Archaeologists also found amphorae storage jars which were used to ‘quench’ the lime used for plastering as well as to store other tools, from lead weights used to erect a perfectly vertical wall, to iron hoes to prepare mortar and work lime.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
Beyond the bricks and mortar, Continuum Club will be staffed by a team of experts and will use artificial intelligence to create an enhanced, 360-degree wellness experience for members.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2024
Xanthe Scharff, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 July 2023
Noun
The color and consistency reminds Jews of the bricks and mortar used by Israelite slaves.
—Chris Sims, The Indianapolis Star, 22 Apr. 2024
At the Monday night hearing, Nampa Mayor Debbie Kling interjected to clarify that the regulations were not brought forth because of complaints from brick and mortar restaurants.
—Angela Palermo, Idaho Statesman, 16 Apr. 2024
From a morning visit to a local market to buy the freshest vegetables and herbs to pounding green curry paste in a mortar and pestle to making mango sticky rice, my foodie family couldn’t be happier.
—Tanvi Chheda, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2024
Piles of empty bullet shells and the remnants of at least one mortar lie on the ground.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
Construction tools were discovered in several rooms, including tools to prepare mortar and pull up a vertical wall.
—Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2024
Ukraine also builds its own mortar rounds and Soviet-standard 122mm and 152mm artillery shells.
—David L. Stern, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
Archaeologists also found amphorae storage jars which were used to ‘quench’ the lime used for plastering as well as to store other tools, from lead weights used to erect a perfectly vertical wall, to iron hoes to prepare mortar and work lime.
—Reuters, NBC News, 25 Mar. 2024
Beyond the bricks and mortar, Continuum Club will be staffed by a team of experts and will use artificial intelligence to create an enhanced, 360-degree wellness experience for members.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
Their homes, mortared with mud and topped with straw, are vulnerable to rain.
—Xanthe Scharff, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 July 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mortar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near mortar
Cite this Entry
“Mortar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortar. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mortar
1 of 2 noun
mor·tar
ˈmȯrt-ər 
1
: a strong deep bowl in which substances are pounded or crushed with a pestle
2
: a short muzzle-loading cannon used to fire shells at a low speed and at high angles
mortar
2 of 2 noun
: a building material made of lime and cement mixed with sand and water that is spread between bricks or stones so as to hold them together when it hardens
mortar
verb
Medical Definition
mortar
noun
mor·tar
ˈmȯrt-ər
: a strong vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed with a pestle
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