a person whose trade is building with units of various natural or artificial mineral products, as stones, bricks, cinder blocks, or tiles, usually with the use of mortar or cement as a bonding agent.
a person who dresses stones or bricks.
(initial capital letter) a Freemason.
Bobbie Ann, born 1940, U.S. short-story writer and novelist.
Charles, 1730–87, English astronomer and surveyor.
George, 1725–92, American statesman.
Lowell, 1792–1872, U.S. hymnist and educator.
Dame Sandra Prunella, born 1949, Barbadian politician: 1st president of Barbados since 2021.
a male given name.
a person skilled in building with stone
a person who dresses stone
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English machun, mason, from Old French machun, masson, from Frankish makjon (unrecorded) “maker,” derivative of makōn “to make”; see make 1
If you spent the summer building a beautiful stone wall around your backyard, you may have a future as a mason, someone who builds things out of brick or stone. Usage experts can’t quite agree on the origins of the word mason. Some believe that it traces back to the German word mahhon, meaning "to make." True or not, it’s a good way to remember the meaning of mason: masons make things out of brick or stone. A mason is a skilled craftsperson who might, for example, carve stone for a memorial or do work on the brick walls of a house.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Martyn said everything went "seamlessly" until they reached the gate, despite Mason, who was wearing a sunflower lanyard and had his diagnosis letter with him, shouting the word "bomb" several times.
From BBC • May 26, 2026
It's the brainchild of Jo Mason, a City of London banker who tired of counterfeit profiles on dating sites.
From BBC • May 21, 2026
The Dodgers had a chance in the ninth against Padres closer Mason Miller, but strand both runners in loss.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Thalia R. Goldstein, associate professor and director of applied developmental psychology at George Mason University, said storytelling could be a healthy way to introduce kids to painful truths.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
Mason, along with Thomas Hastings, went on to establish the first public school music program in Boston, beginning with the Boston Singing School, which taught children singing under his methodology.
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Definitions 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.
