mantel
Americannoun
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mantels
plural
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a construction framing the opening of a fireplace and usually covering part of the chimney breast in a more or less decorative manner.
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Also called mantelshelf. a shelf above a fireplace opening.
noun
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a wooden or stone frame around the opening of a fireplace, together with its decorative facing
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Also called: mantel shelf. a shelf above this frame
Usage
What does mantel mean? A mantel is the frame around the opening of a fireplace. Mantel also commonly refers to a shelf above the fireplace (which may or may not be attached to the other kind of mantel). This shelf can also be called a mantelshelf. Both senses of mantel can also be spelled mantle. (The word mantle has many other meanings.)Synonyms for mantel include mantlepiece, mantelboard, and chimneypiece. Example: This mantel will need to be replaced since the wood is rotting, but the fireplace itself looks solid.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mantel
1480–90; earlier mantell mantelet; variant of mantle
Explanation
A mantel is a shelf that sticks out just above a fireplace. People often put trophies and pictures on their mantel. If your house has a fireplace, chances are you also have a mantel. A mantel is a handy place to display anything you like looking at or want to show off to visitors. Trophies and prizes are common things to find on a mantel, as are pictures of family and friends. If you want people to see something, put it on the mantel.
Vocabulary lists containing mantel
Learning Down The House: Parts of Your Home
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Chains
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Commonly Confused Words, List 2
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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.
See Examples For:
He has added gold trim to the crown molding, smothered the walls with gold-framed artworks and gold-painted embellishments, placed inch-thick gold coasters on the desk, and lined up gold urns on the mantel.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
Overall, that’s a nice financial picture hanging over your mantel.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 1, 2026
After China took up the mantel as mediator, the two sides agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations.
From BBC ● Apr. 1, 2026
Carter’s statuettes had been displayed on a mantel.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
The following morning, Calder and Petra sat down on a bench in the Gracie Hall lobby They were facing a stone fireplace that had a bust of Francis Parker on the mantel.
From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett
The company’s clocks could once be found on Navy battleships during World War II, and adorned mantels, walls and desks at the White House for presidents ranging from Dwight Eisenhower to Joe Biden.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2025
In his travels, Tocqueville saw pieces of the famous Plymouth Rock all over: used as doorstops, as paperweights, set in the centers of mantels like the mandibles of sainted martyrs.
From Slate ● Nov. 28, 2024
Crown molding, wide plank hardwood floors, intricate handmade mantels – these are all things homebuyers cannot get in a new build or without spending a fortune.
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 7, 2023
That’s why mantels are usually 12 inches or more above the fireplace opening.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 11, 2022
More than the hand-painted blue tiles in the kitchen or the mantels laden with potted tulips, this workshop was a testimony to Hoede’s wealth.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
