brick
BRIHK
Brick (noun) means a hard rectangular block of baked clay or similar material, used for building walls. Example: “He picked up a loose brick and set it back into the wall.”
noun
1
A hard rectangular block of baked clay or similar material, used for building walls.
"He picked up a loose brick and set it back into the wall."
"The old cottage was built from red brick over a century ago."
"They laid a fresh course of bricks along the garden wall."
2
Slang: an electronic device that has stopped working entirely, especially after a failed update.
"After the power cut during the update, my old tablet became a useless brick."
"Don't throw that dead console away; it is just a brick now."
"A botched firmware update turned his router into an expensive brick."
3
Slang: a compact block-shaped unit of something, such as a kilogram of a drug or an external power adapter.
"I keep the black brick for my monitor in the drawer under the desk."
"The brick on this camera charger is too big to fit into my small bag."
"The laptop's charger has a bulky brick in the middle of the cable."
verb
1
To ruin an electronic device so badly that it becomes permanently unusable.
"If the power fails halfway through the upgrade, you could brick the whole device."
"He was afraid he would brick his games console by installing unofficial software."
"Installing the wrong software update can brick your phone."
2
To build or line something with bricks.
"They decided to brick the garden path rather than lay concrete."
"The builders will brick the inside of the new fireplace next week."
"The workers bricked up the old doorway."
How to use brick
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA building block made of baked clay, or informally, anything that becomes uselessly dead (especially gadgets).
Common mistake
The "ruin a device" sense is informal tech slang, not standard written English — keep it out of formal writing.
Common pairings
a brick wall
brick by brick
brick a phone
lay bricks
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Word forms
- Plural
- bricks
- Third person singular
- bricks
- Past tense
- bricked
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
He picked up a loose _____ and set it back into the wall.
Etymology
From late Middle English brik/bryke, borrowed from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German words for a broken tile or slab, ultimately linked to "break" — a brick was originally thought of as a shaped, broken-off piece.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for brick
See all rhymes for brick →Frequently asked questions
What does “brick” mean?
The word “brick” means a hard rectangular block of baked clay or similar material, used for building walls. In plain terms, a building block made of baked clay, or informally, anything that becomes uselessly dead (especially gadgets).
How do you pronounce “brick”?
“Brick” is pronounced BRIHK (/ˈbɹɪk/ in IPA).
How do you use “brick” in a sentence?
Here is “brick” used in a sentence: “The old cottage was built from red brick over a century ago.”
What part of speech is “brick”?
Depending on how it is used, “brick” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “brick” come from?
The word “brick” comes from Middle English. From late Middle English brik/bryke, borrowed from Middle Dutch and Middle Low German words for a broken tile or slab, ultimately linked to "break" — a brick was originally thought of as a shaped, broken-off piece.
Is “brick” a common word?
“Brick” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B1 level.
How many meanings does “brick” have?
“Brick” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a hard rectangular block of baked clay or similar material, used for building walls.
What is the difference between a "brick" and a "block"?
A brick is a hard rectangular block of baked clay or similar material used for building walls, typically small enough to hold in one hand. "Block" is more general and often refers to larger units, such as concrete blocks, which are bigger than standard bricks.
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