adobe

noun

ado·​be ə-ˈdō-bē 

1

: a brick or building material of sun-dried earth and straw

2

: a structure made of adobe bricks

3

: a heavy clay used in making adobe bricks

broadly : alluvial or playa clay in desert or arid regions

adobelike

ə-ˈdō-bē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Illustration of adobe

• adobe 2

Did you know?

Handmade sun-dried bricks, adobes are formed from a mixture of heavy clay and straw found in dry regions. As a building material, adobes date back thousands of years and are found in many parts of the world. Molds for shaping the bricks were brought to the New World by the Spanish. Excellent insulating properties make adobes ideal material for both dwellings and ovens; home interiors retain heat in winter and stay cool in summer. The adobe buildings at Taos, New Mexico, are typical of Native American pueblo dwellings.

Examples of adobe in a Sentence

The house was built of adobe.

Recent Examples on the Web

Santa Fe is one of the more unique towns in our country, known for its adobe architecture, regional cuisine, and easy access to nature. —Will McGough, Forbes.com, 24 Feb. 2026

Bathrooms use coloured polished concrete in the spirit of São João Batista’s rustic adobe. —Stephanie Rafanelli, Condé Nast Traveler, 11 Feb. 2026

The Pueblo has been inhabited for more than a millennium, and many of the adobe structures appear the same as when the Spanish first arrived in New Mexico in the 1500s. —Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 16 Jan. 2026

The adobe floor, for example, reflects not only rafa esparza’s Chicano heritage but his relationship with his father in making adobe bricks. —Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 13 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Spanish, borrowed from Arabic aṭ-ṭūb, from al "the" + ṭūb "brick (material), bricks," borrowed from Coptic (Sahidic dialect) tôôbe, (Bohairic dialect) tôbi "brick," going back to Old Egyptian db.t

First Known Use

1748, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for adobe

• obie
• toby

Kids Definition

adobe

noun

ado·​be ə-ˈdō-bē 

1

: a brick or building material made of a sun-dried mixture of earth and straw

2

: a building made of adobe bricks

Etymology

Spanish