mason
1 Americannoun
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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.
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a person who dresses stones or bricks.
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(initial capital letter) a Freemason.
verb (used with object)
noun
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Bobbie Ann, born 1940, U.S. short-story writer and novelist.
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Charles, 1730–87, English astronomer and surveyor.
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George, 1725–92, American statesman.
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Lowell, 1792–1872, U.S. hymnist and educator.
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Dame Sandra Prunella, born 1949, Barbadian politician: 1st president of Barbados since 2021.
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a male given name.
noun
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a person skilled in building with stone
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a person who dresses stone
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
- nonmason noun
Etymology
Origin of mason
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
Explanation
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.
Vocabulary lists containing mason
Name That Job: Occupational Last Names
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First-Name Basis: Words That Are Also Names
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The Friendship War
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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.
A lot of people do mason jars but, because pop tops are square, you can fit more in a space.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 11, 2026
It was built by a master mason called Robert MacMillan Clive, who was my great-grandfather.
From BBC • Nov. 10, 2025
It’s a high-tech twist on the classic mason jar, using a silicone lid with a degassing valve and an AirGone Argon Gas Canister to flush out oxygen.
From Salon • Apr. 18, 2025
One response sent him to Douglas, who had written on Reddit that her father, Cliff, a professional mason, was volunteering to remove tiles from ruined homes for free.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2025
I stared at a side wall that was covered with shelves of mason jars.
From "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd
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.
