brick

brick — noun

1. a hard block, usually made from baked clay, used in walls and other building wor

1.nounB2
Definition

a hard block, usually made from baked clay, used in walls and other building work; also the material these blocks are made of.

Example

Workers stacked fresh bricks beside the new school wall.

building use with plural bricks

The kitchen stayed cool because the house had thick brick walls.

Common collocations
  • brick wall
  • brick house
  • built of brick
Synonyms
  • block

    a broader word for a solid piece; it does not specifically suggest baked clay for building.

  • masonry unit

    a technical building term for a brick or similar block.

Grammar Patterns

a brick

built of brick

Usage Note

As an uncountable noun, brick often follows "of" after words like built or made. As a countable noun, it names one individual piece.

Common Mistakes

The house was built by brick.
The house was built of brick.
Use 'of' when you mean the material.

2. a small block for play that lets children make toy buildings and other shapes, o

2.noun
Definition

a small block for play that lets children make toy buildings and other shapes, often in wood or plastic.

Example

Noa made a tall tower from blue bricks on the rug.

toy-building use with plural bricks

The twins keep their wooden bricks in a cloth bag.

Common collocations
  • plastic bricks
  • wooden bricks
  • build with bricks
Synonyms
  • block

    the general word; brick is often used for a toy piece shaped like a small building brick.

  • cube

    usually suggests a more even square shape than many toy bricks have.

Grammar Patterns

play with bricks

build with bricks

Usage Note

This sense is mostly used in the plural when talking about a set of children's building pieces.

3. an electronic device that no longer works at all, often after damage or a failed

3.noun
Definition

an electronic device that no longer works at all, often after damage or a failed software change.

Example

After the bad update, Leila's tablet was just a brick.

a brick = dead device

One wrong file turned the game console into a brick.

pattern: turn into a brick

Common collocations
  • turn into a brick
  • just a brick
  • leave someone with a brick
Synonyms
  • dead device

    a plain descriptive phrase for technology that no longer works.

  • doorstop

    a humorous label for something useless and heavy, not a technical term.

Grammar Patterns

be a brick

turn into a brick

Usage Note

Common in tech talk after updates, hacking, or hardware damage. Distinguish from sense 4, which means an old heavy phone that may still work.

Common Mistakes

My phone is brick after the update.
My phone is a brick after the update.
This sense is a countable noun.

4. a very large and heavy mobile phone from the early years of cellphones.

4.noun
Definition

a very large and heavy mobile phone from the early years of cellphones.

Example

Next to her smartphone, Grandpa's old brick looked huge.

informal: brick for an early mobile phone

Rohan pulled a brick from his coat and called a taxi.

Common collocations
  • old brick
  • carry a brick
  • brick of a phone
Synonyms
  • mobile phone

    the neutral general term, without any idea of great size or age.

  • handset

    a slightly more technical word for the phone unit itself.

Grammar Patterns

an old brick

a brick of a phone

Usage Note

Used jokingly or critically about the size and weight of early mobile phones. Distinguish from sense 3, which refers to a device that cannot be used.

5. a person who is dependable, generous, and quick to help.

5.noun
Definition

a person who is dependable, generous, and quick to help.

Example

When the car died, Greta was a brick and drove us home.

be a brick = be very helpful

Thanks for watching the twins, Omar; you're a brick.

common praise after a favor

Common collocations
  • be a brick
  • a real brick
  • you're a brick
Synonyms
  • lifesaver

    stronger and more dramatic, often for help in a difficult moment.

  • gem

    an informal compliment for someone delightful, not only someone dependable.

Grammar Patterns

be a brick

Usage Note

Usually appears after be, often as direct praise to someone who has just helped. It is much less common than ordinary words like helpful or kind.

Common Mistakes

Thanks for the ride. You are brick.
Thanks for the ride. You are a brick.
The compliment normally takes the article 'a'.

6. in basketball, a shot that misses so badly it gives no real chance of scoring.

6.noun
Definition

in basketball, a shot that misses so badly it gives no real chance of scoring.

Example

Theo threw up a brick, and the ball hit the backboard.

basketball slang: throw up a brick

From the corner, Ines shot a brick that missed everything.

Common collocations
  • shoot a brick
  • throw up a brick
  • fire bricks
Synonyms
  • miss

    the general word for any unsuccessful shot.

  • air ball

    more specific: a shot that does not touch the rim or board.

Antonyms
  • bucket

    basketball slang for a successful shot or score.

Grammar Patterns

shoot a brick

throw up a brick

Usage Note

Common in basketball slang, especially after verbs like shoot, throw up, or fire. A brick is a miss, so it contrasts with made shot.

Common Mistakes

He shot a brick into the basket.
He shot a brick from the corner.
A brick is a missed shot, not a successful one.
Idioms

be up against a brick wall

idiom

To be unable to make progress because of a difficulty.

The team is up against a brick wall with this problem.

We were up against a brick wall in our negotiations.

drop a brick/clanger

idiom

To say something that offends or embarrasses someone unintentionally.

Sara dropped a brick when she mentioned his ex-wife.

Did I just drop a brick by asking about her job?

like a cat on hot bricks

idiom

Very nervous or restless.

Tom was like a cat on hot bricks before his speech.

Why is she like a cat on hot bricks today?

like a cat on a hot tin roof

idiom

Very nervous or restless.

Diego was like a cat on a hot tin roof waiting for results.

She's been like a cat on a hot tin roof all morning.

like a ton of bricks

idiom

Very heavily or severely.

The news hit him like a ton of bricks.

The boss came down on them like a ton of bricks.

make bricks without straw

idiom

To try to work without necessary materials or information.

The team is making bricks without straw due to budget cuts.

We can't make bricks without straw; we need more data.

brick — verb

Word family

  • bricklayer
    nounB2
  • brickwork
    nounC1
  • brick-built
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For building material, brick usually means a small hard unit used again and again in rows to make walls. Block is broader: it can be concrete, stone, or another solid piece, and it often sounds larger. Stone refers to natural rock or pieces cut from it, so it suggests a different material and often a heavier look. Tile is thinner and is mainly used for roofs, floors, or walls as a covering, not as the main structure. You build a brick wall, cut a stone step, or lay floor tiles. If the builder carries one piece in the hand, brick is the most exact word here.

brick ↗block ↗stone ↗tile ↗

Etymology

Middle DutchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word came into English in the Middle English period as bryke, probably from Middle Dutch bricke. It first referred to the hard blocks used in building, and later developed figurative uses for phones, helpful people, and bad basketball shots.