bric-a-brac
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of bric-a-brac
1830–40; < French, Middle French: literally, at random, without rhyme or reason; gradational compound from elements of obscure origin
Explanation
Bric-a-brac is knickknacks: little objects without any purpose except decoration. Some people love to collect bric-a-brac. Do you know anyone who collects little unicorn figurines or other small knickknacks? Then you know someone who likes bric-a-brac. Bric-a-brac consists of little odds and ends crafted by artists. This is a mass noun: it's plural without adding an s, standing for all sorts of tawdry trinkets. The nice thing about bric-a-brac is you always have room for more since they’re tiny. An arts and crafts festival is a great place to find all sorts of bric-a-brac.
Vocabulary lists containing bric-a-brac
The Hiding Place
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The Summer of Lost Letters
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House of Hollow
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Brooches that refer to various Chanel collections are assembled out of Legos, bits of Star Wars action figures, and other bric-a-brac, gleaming in jewelry cases and elevating these childish materials.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
The company’s multimedia collages, often blending canonical treasures with campy bric-a-brac, have worked to undo entrenched assumptions of theatrical perception.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2023
Elvis' actual house is smaller than you'd think and kinda gives off grandpa vibes with the overly carpeted rooms and hallways, and bric-a-brac strewed about.
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2023
As Norwich observes, you can chance upon worthy material not just in your reading but also in overheard conversations, advertisements, even on souvenir bric-a-brac.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 15, 2022
In those days Aureliano lived off the sale of silverware, candlesticks, and other bric-a-brac from the house.
From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
