brick

BRIK/bɹɪk/

Pluralbricks (some meanings)

Verbbricks, bricking, bricked

19 meanings of brick

Practice

1
clay blocknoununcountable
A hard block of clay or mud, baked or dried, used to build walls and houses, or this material in general.
The whole house is made of brick.
They covered the old walls with brick and stone.
UsageSay made of brick for the material; bricks are the single blocks.
2
any blocknouncountable
An object that has the shape of a brick.
He pulled a brick of cheese from the fridge.
The cash was wrapped into a tight brick.
UsageSay a brick of cheese.
Similarblock, slab, bar
3
lay masonryverbtransitive
To build or cover something using bricks.
They decided to brick the old doorway shut.
Workers bricked the tunnel walls for extra strength.
UsageBrick up a window means fill it with bricks.
Note
4
ruin by softwareverbslangtransitive
To ruin a phone, computer or other device with a bad update or setting so it no longer works.
Like turning a working phone into a dead weight that does nothing.
A bad update can brick your phone in seconds.
He bricked his router by installing the wrong firmware.
Similarkill, wreck
Note

Less common meanings

5
nounslangfigurativelycountable or uncountable
An electronic device that no longer works, or is so out of date that it is useless.
Like a toy that has run out of power and can't be turned on.
After the failed update, his laptop was just a brick.
That old console is a brick now. Nothing loads on it.
Similarpaperweight, doorstop
Note
6
red-brownnouncountable or uncountable
A reddish-brown color, like baked clay.
She painted the front door a warm brick.
The autumn leaves had turned a deep brick.
Similarterracotta, rust, russet
7
verbslangtransitive
In basketball, to miss a shot badly so the ball bangs hard off the rim or board and bounces away.
I always brick my shots when people are watching.
He bricked both free throws at the end of the game.
Similarmiss
Oppositesink
Note
8
missed shotnounslangcountable or uncountable
In basketball, a badly missed shot that bounces hard off the rim or backboard.
Like tossing a rock at the basket: too hard for it to ever drop in.
His last shot was an ugly brick that clanged off the rim.
The crowd groaned after another brick from the free-throw line.
Similarmiss, clank
Oppositeswish
Note
9
power adapternouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
A small boxy power supply that plugs into the wall and powers a device through a cord.
Like the heavy box in the middle of a laptop charger's cord.
My laptop's brick is so heavy that I leave it at home.
The charging brick stopped working after the cord frayed.
Similaradapter, charger, transformer
10
cocaine blocknounslangcountable or uncountable
A block-shaped package of about one kilogram of cocaine.
Police found a brick of cocaine hidden in the trunk.
The dealer was caught with a single brick in his bag.
Similarkilo, key
11
reliable friendnoundatedcountable or uncountable
A kind, dependable person you can always count on.
Like a strong wall you can always lean on.
Grandma called her neighbor a real brick for always helping out.
“It's easy to see you're a brick!” replied Lady Augusta, and the laugh again became general.
1863, Elizabeth Caroline Grey, Good SocietyHere, brick means a kind, dependable person you can always count on.
Similarrock, star, gem, treasure, angel
Note
12
ammo cartonnouncountable or uncountable
A boxed pack of 500 small gun cartridges, shaped roughly like a building block.
Like one big pack holding many small bullets, stacked like a block.
He bought a brick of .22 ammo for the weekend.
A single brick holds five hundred rounds.
Note
13
useless cardnounslangcountable or uncountable
In poker, a community card that does nothing to help your hand.
Like drawing a card that is no use to you at all.
The river was a brick, and he lost the pot.
She needed a heart, but the turn came up a brick.
Similarblank, rag
Note
14
bitterly coldadjectivedialectalNew York
Very cold, the way freezing winter air feels.
Like the coldest day of winter when your face goes numb.
It's brick outside, so wear your warmest coat.
The wind made it feel brick on the walk home.
Similarfreezing, frigid, frosty, bitter, glacial
Oppositehot, boiling, scorching, sweltering
Note
15
hit with a blockverbslangtransitive
To strike a person or thing using a brick.
Someone bricked the car window during the riot.
They threatened to brick anyone who crossed the line.
Similarstone
16
mold clayverbtransitive
To press or shape a soft or loose material, such as clay or ore, into hard blocks.
The plant, which is here described, for bricking fine ores and flue dust, was designed and the plans produced in the engineering department of the Selby smelter.
1904, James C. Bennett, “Lead Smelting and Refining with Some Notes on Lead Mining”Here, bricking means pressing loose ore and dust into hard blocks.
Note
17
mess upverbslangintransitive
To make a bad mistake at an important moment.
Like missing an easy goal while the whole team watches.
I was so nervous that I bricked the job interview.
She bricked her big date by showing up an hour late.
Similarchoke, blunder, flop, bomb, flub
Oppositeshine, excel, succeed
18
insult (trans women)nounderogatoryoffensivecountable or uncountable
An insulting word for a trans woman who is easily recognized as transgender.
Trolls called the trans woman a brick to mock her appearance.
Calling a trans woman a brick is a cruel insult about her looks.
UsageSay trans woman instead.
Note
19
nounslangUK
A thing that is thrown or fired as a weapon.
I was on deck watching the firing, and looking at the direction in which our guns were pointing, it was obvious that it was not going to be Centurion who was going to receive our bricks.
2019, Daniel Knowles, HMS Hood: Pride of the Royal NavyHere, bricks means the shells or other things fired from the guns.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of brick apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

Middle Low German and Middle Dutch had the word bricke. English took it in the Middle English period as brik. It is related to the word break.

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 3 facts

Middle Low German and Middle Dutch both had the word bricke. en.wiktionary.org
English borrowed the word from these languages during the Middle English period, with brik among its forms. en.wiktionary.org
Brick is etymologically related to break. en.wiktionary.org