brownstone

noun

brown·​stone ˈbrau̇n-ˌstōn 

1

: a reddish-brown sandstone used for building

2

: a dwelling faced with brownstone

Examples of brownstone in a Sentence

She lives in a beautiful brownstone in Manhattan.

Recent Examples on the Web

The problem when damage is caused to a brownstone next door to construction is that an inevitable lawsuit and subsequent repair works to some extent. —Roberta Brandes Gratz, New York Daily News, 9 Apr. 2026

On the first block of Commonwealth Avenue, where the Public Garden sits just steps away and Back Bay’s brownstones read like a catalog of Boston’s Who’s Who, 17 Commonwealth Avenue, Unit 1, lands in rarified air. —Miriam Schwartz, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026

Like, who is actually living in these brownstones? —Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 3 Apr. 2026

Before heading to the bathroom to begin her morning skin-care routine, Rose Ingleton eases into the day in her sunlit Brooklyn brownstone. —Kaleigh Fasanella, Allure, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for brownstone

• alone
• atone
• backbone
• bemoan
• bluestone
• breastbone
• capstone
• cheekbone
• condone
• curbstone
• cyclone
• dethrone

Kids Definition

brownstone

noun

brown·​stone ˈbrau̇n-ˌstōn 

1

: a reddish brown sandstone used for building

2

: a dwelling covered with a layer of brownstone