brick

[ brik ]

/ brɪk /

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See synonyms for: brick / bricked / bricker / brickest on Thesaurus.com

noun

a block of clay hardened by drying in the sun or burning in a kiln, and used for building, paving, etc.: traditionally, in the United States, a rectangle 2.25 × 3.75 × 8 inches (5.7 × 9.5 × 20.3 centimeters), red, brown, or yellow in color.

such blocks collectively.

the material of which such blocks are made.

any block or bar having a similar size and shape: a gold brick; an ice-cream brick.

the length of a brick as a measure of thickness, as of a wall: one and a half bricks thick.

Informal. an electronic device that has become completely nonfunctional.

Informal: Older Use. an admirably good or generous person.

verb (used with object)

to pave, line, wall, fill, or build with brick.

Informal. to cause (an electronic device) to become completely nonfunctional: I bricked my phone while doing the upgrade.

adjective

made of, constructed with, or resembling bricks.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about brick

drop a brick, to make a social gaffe or blunder, especially an indiscreet remark.

hit the bricks,

to walk the streets, especially as an unemployed person or someone experiencing homelessness.
to go on strike: With contract talks stalled, workers are threatening to hit the bricks.

Also take to the bricks.

make bricks without straw,

to plan or act on a false premise or unrealistic basis.
to create something that will not last: To form governments without the consent of the people is to make bricks without straw.
to perform a task despite the lack of necessary materials.

Origin of brick

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English brike, brik(ke), from Middle Dutch bricke; akin to break

OTHER WORDS FROM brick

brick·like, brick·ish, adjectiveun·bricked, adjective

Words nearby brick

bribe, bribery, bric-a-brac, Brice, bricht, brick, brick-and-mortar, brickbat, brick cheese, brickearth, brickfield

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use brick in a sentence

That’s a tall order right now for many brick-and-mortar retailers that were already under pressure and watched foot traffic disappear entirely as the country largely shut down in March in response to the pandemic threat.
That Whole Foods is an Amazon warehouse; get used to it|Connie Loizos|September 4, 2020|TechCrunch
Human bones were found buried beneath the platforms, including a stillborn foetus enclosed in a brick.
An Ancient Site with Human Skulls on Display - Issue 89: The Dark Side|Jo Marchant|September 2, 2020|Nautilus
Surprisingly, there aren’t many things I miss about a sticks-and-bricks home.
5 Portable Grills for All Your Outdoor Cooking Needs|Amy Marturana Winderl|September 2, 2020|Outside Online
HOUSTON — On an afternoon in mid-June, Analleli Solis was walking home from her brother’s house just down the street when she noticed someone she didn’t know retreating from the front door of her modest brick home.
The Loan Company That Sued Thousands of Low-Income Latinos During the Pandemic|by Kiah Collier, Ren Larson and Perla Trevizo|August 31, 2020|ProPublica

To check if this coherence time was really caused by the natural radiation, they built a giant shield out of lead brick that could block background radiation to see what happened when the qubits were isolated.
Could Quantum Computing Progress Be Halted by Background Radiation?|Edd Gent|August 31, 2020|Singularity Hub
It was a brick wall that we turned into the on-ramp of a highway.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The industry lore is downright jaw-dropping in the details of the cons known as “brick-in-box” returns.
The Insane $11 Billion Scam at Retailers’ Return Desks|M.L. Nestel|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tallinn feels palpably Scandinavian with its polished old-town brick, seaside positioning and glut of cool cafes.
Next Stop, Quito: Our Top Cities for 2015|Brandon Presser|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Once a cadet dropped a brick from a third-story barracks window that barely missed Jackson.
Stonewall Jackson, VMI’s Most Embattled Professor|S. C. Gwynne|November 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Opposite is a red-brick monastery leaning like an ocean liner in the snow.
Russia’s Gold Digger Academy|Peter Pomerantsev|November 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To hear the creature talk about it makes my mouth as a brick kiln and my flesh as that of a goose.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
Therefore shall Moab howl to Moab, every one shall howl: to them that rejoice upon the brick walls, tell ye their stripes.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
Wherefore my bowels shall sound like a harp for Moab, and my inward parts for the brick wall.
The Bible, Douay-Rheims Version|Various
All the large engines are in this way, and we do not find the door or front plate get hot, as they are lined with brick.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
The boiler was placed underneath the engine, the fire under it, with brick flues.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick

British Dictionary definitions for brick

brick

/ (brɪk) /

noun

a rectangular block of clay mixed with sand and fired in a kiln or baked by the sun, used in building construction
(as modifier)a brick house

the material used to make such blocks

any rectangular blocka brick of ice

bricks collectively

informal a reliable, trustworthy, or helpful person

British a child's building block

short for brick red

drop a brick British informal to make a tactless or indiscreet remark

like a ton of bricks informal (used esp of the manner of punishing or reprimanding someone) with great force; severelywhen he spotted my mistake he came down on me like a ton of bricks

verb (tr)

(usually foll by in, up or over) to construct, line, pave, fill, or wall up with bricksto brick up a window; brick over a patio

slang to attack (a person) with a brick or bricks

Word Origin for brick

C15: from Old French brique, from Middle Dutch bricke; related to Middle Low German brike, Old English brecan to break

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with brick

brick

In addition to the idioms beginning with brick

bricks and mortar
bricks shy of a load

also see:

drop a brick
hit the bricks
like a cat on a hot brick
like a ton of bricks
make bricks without straw
run into a stone (brick) wall

brick

Idioms about brick

Origin of brick

OTHER WORDS FROM brick

Words nearby brick

Words related to brick

How to use brick in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for brick

Word Origin for brick

Other Idioms and Phrases with brick