brick

noun, often attributive \ ˈbrik \

|Updated on: 15 Aug 2018

Definition of brick

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 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

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Examples of brick in a Sentence

a house made of brick
a brick of ice cream
children playing with wooden bricks
He has been an absolute brick.

Recent Examples of brick from the Web

As internet sales continue to grow, the system created inequities between brick-and-mortar stores, which assess local and state taxes, and online retailers, according to the city manager’s office.

— erin hegarty, Naperville Sun, "Naperville could gain $350,000 annually from Supreme Court decision on out-of-state use tax," 30 June 2018
Grab bars don’t have to look institutional; many brick-and-mortar and online stores sell attractive ones.

— jane e. brody, charlotteobserver, "How to age well and stay in your home," 27 June 2018
The first brick-and-mortar store, Unbaked, opened in June in Old Town Scottsdale.

— gwen ashley walters, azcentral, "Edible cookie dough: Where in metro Phoenix to buy dough that's safe to eat," 13 July 2018
In the main house, the entry features a brick fireplace and a split staircase leading to the second level.

— lauren beale, latimes.com, "Soap star Clive Robertson’s fairy tale-like estate is for sale in the Hollywood Hills," 9 July 2018
The building has a brick fireplace which gives off a sense of home and comfort.

— rachel scaman, Aurora Beacon-News, "Guide to outdoor dining in Chicago suburbs: Two Brothers Roundhouse in Aurora," 5 July 2018
The court found that states were losing up to $33bn in tax revenue each year because of the loophole, and that bricks-and-mortar retailers were at a competitive disadvantage because they were obliged to charge a sales tax.

— The Economist, "Business this week," 28 June 2018
Freenet Video went live Tuesday on the company's web site and will role out across Debitel's 560 brick-and-mortar shops in Germany on May 22.

— scott roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, "Germany's Splendid Films Sets up SVOD Service With Mobile Carrier Debitel," 15 May 2018
Even the beige framed print over the beige brick fireplace featured three Parisian women sitting on a beige beach.

— elizabeth baudouin, Vogue, "What My Mother’s Wife Taught Me About Life, and Love," 13 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brick.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of brick

Middle English bryke, from Middle Dutch bricke

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First Known Use: circa 1525

in the meaning defined at sense 1

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brick Synonyms

Synonyms

blunder, bobble, boo-boo, clinker, error, fault, flub, fluff, fumble, gaff, gaffe, goof, inaccuracy, lapse, miscue, misstep, mistake, oversight, screwup, slip, slipup, stumble, trip;

Near Antonyms

accuracy, correctness, exactitude, exactness, preciseness, precision, strictness;

inerrancy, infallibility, perfection;

foul-up, snafu;

misapprehension, miscalculation, miscomprehension, misconception, misconstruction, miscue, misdescription, misimpression, misinterpretation, misjudgment, misreading, misstatement, misunderstanding;

brick

verb

Definition of brick

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 ¹brick 6)

brick a free throw

See brick defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of brick from the Web

His first season in Oklahoma City ended on a massive thud, with him bricking his way through the end of a first-round exit, and his return has helped push his team’s payroll well above the luxury-tax line.

— ben golliver, SI.com, "2018 NBA Free Agency: The Early Winners And Losers," 5 July 2018
The new recommendation comes weeks after reports that some Switch systems were getting bricked after being updated to recent firmware and plugged in to third-party docks from the likes of Nyko.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Nintendo warns against using substandard Switch charging cables," 6 Apr. 2018
Since 2012, District 203 spent more than $634,000 enhancing the varsity baseball field, bricking the backstop, adding screening and foul poles, renovating the press box, constructing handicap-accessible bleachers and installing batting cages.

— suzanne baker, Naperville Sun, "Dad demands equal spending on baseball and softball at Naperville Central: 'Title IX was enacted in 1972'," 9 June 2018
Most everyone else is bricking shots and playing terrible defense.

— rohan nadkarni, SI.com, "The Celtics Have Dominated the Cavs With Depth And Relentlessness," 15 May 2018
Things were ominous from the get-go Saturday as Davis opened the game by swishing an 18-footer and McCollum followed by bricking a three-pointer.

— joe freeman, OregonLive.com, "New Orleans Pelicans' stars outshine Trail Blazers' stars to steal Game 1 of Western Conference Playoffs," 15 Apr. 2018
Antetokounmpo's challenge clearly affected the high-arcing shot, which bricked off the backboard.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Bucks 124, Lakers 122 (OT): Eric Bledsoe finishes strong after Milwaukee stumbles," 31 Mar. 2018
The Buckeyes put together an 18-2 run, the two for Rutgers coming at the free throw line while the Knights continued to brick shots, at one point missing 13 of 14 field goal attempts.

— bill landis, cleveland.com, "Ohio State basketball stays unbeaten in Big Ten play, beats Rutgers 68-46," 15 Jan. 2018
Like many of those his players bricked in the series.

— john canzano, OregonLive.com, "Canzano: Portland Trail Blazers are in need of sweeping changes after playoff exit," 21 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of brick

1592

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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BRICK Defined for English Language Learners

brick

noun

Definition of brick for English Language Learners

: a small, hard block of baked clay that is used to build structures (such as houses) and sometimes to make streets, paths, etc.
: blocks of baked clay used as building material
: a block of something