brick

noun, often attributive

\ ˈbrik

Definition of brick

(Entry 1 of 2)

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

brick

verb

bricked; bricking; bricks

Definition of brick (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to close, face, or pave with bricks —usually used with up, in, or over brick up a doorwaybrick 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

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about brick

Keep scrolling for more

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

Without the costs associated with brick-and-mortar banking, online accounts can offer customers interest rates at higher multiples than a traditional savings account. — Kevin Mcallister, WSJ, "How to Squeeze Higher Returns From Your Savings," 10 Feb. 2019 What began as a weekly email newsletter by the actress has developed into a lifestyle website, print magazine, pop-ups, wellness summits, brick-and-mortar stores, and more. — Maya Mcdowell, House Beautiful, "Everything We Know So Far About Gwyneth Paltrow’s 'Goop' Series On Netflix," 6 Feb. 2019 Kroger and Microsoft are joining forces to bring the ease of online shopping to brick-and-mortar grocery stores. — Dina Bass, The Seattle Times, "Kroger, Microsoft test futuristic grocery store in Redmond. Amazon, take note.," 7 Jan. 2019 While countless brick and mortar retailers have one by one had to shut down, or at least, rethink their in-store approach in recent years, Ikea hasn’t made much of a change so far. — Jenny Xie, Curbed, "Ikea’s first city-center store in the U.S. to open in Manhattan," 3 Dec. 2018 Online stores are opening brick-and-mortar locations. — Ronald D. White, latimes.com, "Nike knows what Angelenos like to buy. Its new data-driven store will stock those products," 12 July 2018 Both of Matchbook’s schools were hybrid charters, where students learn in a brick-and-mortar building but receive the majority of their instruction virtually. — Valerie Strauss, Washington Post, "What’s really going on in Indiana’s public schools," 12 July 2018 Entertainment tenants, which aren’t impacted by e-commerce like brick-and-mortar retailers, are also expanding. — Katherine Feser, Houston Chronicle, "Grocery stores are filling Houston’s new and old spaces," 5 July 2018 Marc Mazzuca asked if Duff would consider adding a retail store component to his business, as Pusheen products are already sold online and at other brick-and-mortar businesses. — Jennifer Johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Park Ridge City Coucil upholds mayoral veto of Pusheen company expansion in Uptown," 5 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Deary gutted the place to brick and studs himself, then moved walls to open it up, most notably in the master bath, where now no walls exist at all. — Kathleen Hackett, ELLE Decor, "Keri Russell at Home," 5 May 2011 This isn't the first time Logitech has essentially bricked one of its own devices. — Valentina Palladino, Ars Technica, "Logitech disables local access on Harmony Hubs, breaks automation systems [Update]," 19 Dec. 2018 Apple Watch owners can rest assured that today’s update is specifically built not to brick their devices. — Dami Lee, The Verge, "watchOS 5.1.1 is out now, and it will no longer brick your Apple Watch," 5 Nov. 2018 In Instacart’s case, it’s by being the chief ally to brick-and-mortar retailers in a $1 trillion industry where e-commerce sales are growing 29 percent year-over-year, but still account for no more than 5 percent of total sales. — Jason Del Rey, Recode, "Instacart’s new $7 billion valuation is a bet on the future of grocery delivery — not a wager against Amazon," 16 Oct. 2018 With just over a minute left, Redick bricked a wide-open three from the left wing, a shot that would have given the Sixers a five-point lead. — Rohan Nadkarni, SI.com, "Celtics Finish Sixers, Earn Rematch With LeBron in Conference Finals," 10 May 2018 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

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.