brick-and-mortar

adjective

brick-and-mor·​tar ˈbrik-ən(d)-ˈmȯr-tər How to pronounce brick-and-mortar (audio)
variants or bricks-and-mortar
: relating to or being a traditional business serving customers in a building as contrasted to an online business
a brick-and-mortar store

Examples of brick-and-mortar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Markgong has moved from online into bricks-and-mortar selling, having opened its first flagship in IAMP Mall in August, while Nana Jacqueline is expanding through new shopping malls and new cities. — Yiling Pan, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 Mamut and Grönberg were persuaded by Paul Best, a new arrival at Elliott, who believed that the eclipse of brick-and-mortar retail by online commerce had been overstated, and that certain chains could flourish if well capitalized. — Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 That said, preference for brick-and-mortar shopping did decrease 1 percent year-over-year. — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026 What are you being charged at the brick-and-mortar store versus the website versus the app? — Lindsay Owens, As Told To Nina Zipkin, CNBC, 15 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for brick-and-mortar

Word History

First Known Use

1975, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of brick-and-mortar was in 1975

Rhymes for brick-and-mortar

See All Rhymes for brick-and-mortar

Browse Nearby Words

brick
brick-and-mortar
brickbat
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Cite this Entry

“Brick-and-mortar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brick-and-mortar. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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