bricks and mortar

British  

noun

1. 1. a building or buildings

      he invested in bricks and mortar rather than stocks and shares

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bricks-and-mortar fortune

2. 1. a physical business premises rather than an internet presence

   2. ( as modifier )

      bricks-and-mortar firms

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bricks and mortar Idioms  

1. Basic and essential, as in Matthew Arnold's essay (1865): “Margate, that bricks-and-mortar image of British Protestantism.” This phrase transfers essential building materials to other fundamental matters. It also may be used more literally to denote a building or buildings (whether or not made of bricks and mortar), as in The alumni prefer to see their donations in the form of bricks and mortar. [Mid-1800s]

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Example Sentences

“I love that place beyond all good sense. It’s not just bricks and mortar to me.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 6, 2026

Now, the tech company is hitting back at Walmart in bricks and mortar retail, proposing to build a 225,000 square-foot store located in suburban Chicago.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

It’s not just about bricks and mortar and shelter.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 24, 2025

While the old Leitch architecture gave the Goodison Park structure something unique, it also possesses something bricks and mortar simply cannot provide.

From BBC • May 18, 2025

Good rhetoric uses the bricks and mortar of poetry, but it doesn’t lay its walls as regularly.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith