Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

brickbat

American  
[brik-bat] / ˈbrɪkˌbæt /

noun

  1. a piece of broken brick, especially one used as a missile.

  2. any rocklike missile.

  3. an unkind or unfavorable remark; caustic criticism.

    The critics greeted the play with brickbats.


brickbat British  
/ ˈbrɪkˌbæt /

noun

  1. a piece of brick or similar material, esp one used as a weapon

  2. blunt criticism

    the critic threw several brickbats at the singer

"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

Etymology

Origin of brickbat

First recorded in 1555–65; brick + bat 1


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.

See Examples For:

When MLB got to the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the same court where the NFL is heading now, baseball got another brickbat over the head.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 3, 2015

There is one more bouquet to deliver from the weekend, although it won't be popular, so it comes with a bit of a brickbat.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 19, 2013

Inside, the conductor Daniel Barenboim lobbed a brickbat of his own.

From New York Times ● Dec. 7, 2010

Lydon has lobbed many a brickbat at McLaren over the years, but when asked about the death of his one-time manager, he gets serious.

From Reuters ● Apr. 13, 2010

The entire stable-yard is paved with red tiles, and we’ve had such an uncommon spell of dry weather lately that the earth of the surrounding country is baked as hard as a brickbat.

From Cleek of Scotland Yard Detective Stories by Thomas W. Hanshew

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training