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

Where to Eat Lebanese Flower Café, a farmers market favorite for 20 years, opened its first brick-and-mortar shop on Mass Street in late 2025, serving shawarma, falafel, and other Middle Eastern dishes. — Chris Dong, Travel + Leisure, 30 June 2026

Bed Bath & Beyond closed its 360 brick-and-mortar locations in 2023 after filing for bankruptcy. — Samantha Gowen, Oc Register, 29 June 2026

Founded in 2012 as a food truck by restaurant industry veteran Craig Blum, Johnny served tech industry and other corporate clients before opening brick-and-mortar shops. — Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 27 June 2026

The decision to close the brick-and-mortar storefront reflects broader changes in the antiques business. — Claire Murphy, Chicago Tribune, 27 June 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