noun
Common
mason
MAY-suhn
Mason (noun) means a person whose trade is building with stone or brick. Example: “We hired a mason to rebuild the garden wall.”
noun
1
A person whose trade is building with stone or brick.
"We hired a mason to rebuild the garden wall."
"The mason carefully chipped the stone until it fitted the gap."
"The mason repointed the crumbling brick wall."
2
A member of the Freemasons fraternal organization.
"My uncle is a mason and attends meetings at his lodge every month."
"The lodge welcomed a new mason at a small ceremony."
"His grandfather had been a mason for over forty years."
verb
1
To build or construct in stone or brick.
"They masoned the garden wall using stone from the old barn."
"He spent the summer masoning a chimney for the cottage."
"The wall was masoned by hand over several weeks."
How to use mason
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA stone/brick builder, or a member of the Freemasons.
Common pairings
stone mason
master mason
a mason by trade
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Word forms
- Plural
- masons
- Third person singular
- masons
- Past tense
- masoned
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We hired a _____ to rebuild the garden wall.
Etymology
From Old French maçon, likely traced back to a Frankish word meaning "to make" or "build."
Related words
Rhymes for mason
See all rhymes for mason →Frequently asked questions
What does “mason” mean?
The word “mason” means a person whose trade is building with stone or brick. In plain terms, a stone/brick builder, or a member of the Freemasons.
How do you pronounce “mason”?
“Mason” is pronounced MAY-suhn (/ˈmeɪsən/ in IPA).
How do you use “mason” in a sentence?
Here is “mason” used in a sentence: “The mason repointed the crumbling brick wall.”
What part of speech is “mason”?
Depending on how it is used, “mason” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “mason” come from?
The word “mason” comes from Old French. From Old French maçon, likely traced back to a Frankish word meaning "to make" or "build.".
Is “mason” a common word?
“Mason” is a fairly common word in modern English.
How many meanings does “mason” have?
“Mason” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a person whose trade is building with stone or brick.
What is the difference between a "mason" and a "bricklayer"?
A "mason" builds with stone or brick and, in the stone sense, is often called a stonemason. A "bricklayer" works specifically with bricks and mortar, so every bricklayer is a kind of mason, but not every mason lays bricks.
What is the difference between a "mason" and a "stonemason"?
"Stonemason" specifies someone who works with stone, cutting and shaping it for building. "Mason" is the broader term and can cover working with either stone or brick.
What is the difference between a "mason" and a "Mason" as in Freemason?
A lower-case "mason" is a tradesperson who builds with stone or brick. A capitalised "Mason" usually refers to a Freemason, a member of the Freemasons fraternal organisation, which is unrelated to the building trade.
What words commonly go with "mason"?
The trade sense appears in words like "stonemason" and "master mason," and in phrases about laying stone or brick. The organisation sense appears in "Freemason" and "Masonic lodge."
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