mortar
gb/mˈɔɹtɚ/ us/mˈɔɹtɚ/
B2
English
~ 9300
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
paste used to hold bricks
A wet mix, usually of cement, sand, and water, that holds bricks or stones together when they dry.
Usage pattern:
[something] is held together with mortar
Common mistake:
Learners often confuse "mortar", "cement", and "concrete". Cement is a powder used to make mortar and concrete. Mortar is the soft mix that holds bricks together. Concrete is a strong building material made with cement, sand, water, and stones, used for floors and large structures.
Synonyms
cement (Often used loosely in speech for the same idea, but cement is one ingredient in mortar, not the finished mixture.)
Collocations
mix mortar
|wet mortar
|cement mortar
|lime mortar
|brick and mortar
Themes
construction
|materials
|housing
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The old bricks crumbled, but the mortar between them was still solid.
- Workers mixed a fresh batch of mortar before laying the next row of bricks.
- You need to remove the loose mortar from the joints before you start repairing the wall.
- Rain ruined the mortar, so they had to rebuild part of the chimney.
Learner examples
- The bricks are held together with mortar.
- He mixed sand, water, and cement to make mortar.
- They used mortar to build the garden wall.
- The mortar is still wet, so do not touch the wall.
Noun
C1
entity
2
short gun for high-arc shells
A kind of gun used in war that shoots explosive shells high into the air so they drop down on a place.
Usage pattern:
[someone] fires a mortar at [a place]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse a "mortar" (the weapon) with a "missile" or a "rocket". A mortar fires shells from a short tube at a steep angle, usually over a short distance, while missiles and rockets are self-propelled and often travel much farther.
Synonyms
artillery (A general term for large military guns; a mortar is one specific type of artillery.)
Antonyms
small arms (Refers to handheld weapons like rifles and pistols, which contrast with large indirect-fire weapons like mortars.)
Collocations
mortar fire
|mortar shell
|mortar round
|mortar attack
|mortar team
Themes
military
|war
|weapons
|politics
|law
Examples
- Soldiers took cover as mortar shells landed near their position.
- The army set up a mortar on the hillside to support the advance.
- Civilians were injured in a mortar attack on the market.
- A stray mortar round hit a school on the edge of the city.
Learner examples
- They heard the sound of a mortar in the distance.
- The soldiers fired a mortar at the enemy base.
- A mortar shell fell close to the road.
- The news report spoke about heavy mortar fire near the border.
Noun
C1
entity
3
bowl used for grinding
A strong bowl that you use with a heavy stick (a pestle) to crush or grind things like spices or pills.
Usage pattern:
grind [something] in a mortar
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse the names: the bowl is the "mortar" and the heavy stick is the "pestle". Together they are called a "mortar and pestle".
Synonyms
grinding bowl (A descriptive phrase; less standard as a fixed term but explains the function of a mortar clearly.)
Collocations
mortar and pestle
|stone mortar
|ceramic mortar
|grind spices in a mortar
|pharmacy mortar
Themes
cooking
|science
|tools
|food_drink
|health
|daily_life
Examples
- She crushed the garlic in a stone mortar before adding it to the sauce.
- The pharmacist used a mortar to grind the tablets into a fine powder.
- This heavy granite mortar is perfect for making curry pastes.
- Please wash the mortar and pestle after you finish grinding the spices.
Learner examples
- He used a mortar to crush the seeds.
- The spices are ground in a mortar and pestle.
- She put the pills in the mortar and broke them into powder.
- The mortar is heavy so it does not move when you grind.
Verb
technical
C1
action
4
to fix using mortar
To put mortar between bricks or stones so they stay together in a wall or other structure.
Usage pattern:
to mortar [bricks / stones] together
Common mistake:
This verb is quite technical and is often replaced by more general verbs like "build" or "lay" in everyday speech. Learners may say "glue the bricks" or "stick the bricks" instead of "mortar the bricks" when talking about real construction work.
Synonyms
cement (In everyday speech, people may say "cement the bricks" to mean the same action, even though mortar is the more precise technical word.)
Antonyms
loosen (Describes removing or reducing what holds bricks or stones together, the opposite of securing them with mortar.)
Collocations
mortar the bricks
|mortar the joints
|mortar the stones in place
|carefully mortared
|newly mortared wall
Themes
construction
|materials
|housing
|work
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They mortared the bricks carefully to make sure the wall was straight.
- Each stone was mortared into place by an experienced mason.
- The outer layer of the wall has been poorly mortared and is starting to crack.
- After mortaring the blocks, the workers smoothed the joints with a trowel.
Learner examples
- The workers mortared the bricks together.
- He will mortar the stones to build a strong wall.
- They mortared the blocks and then cleaned the extra mix off.
- You must mortar the bricks well, or the wall will fall.
Grammar
Dictionary form
mortar
IPA
GB/mˈɔɹtɚ/
US/mˈɔɹtɚ/
Syllables & stress
mor - tar (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (mor)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: mortar
- Plural: mortar, mortars
Verb
- Base: mortar
- 3rd Person Singular: mortars
- Present Participle: mortaring
- Past: mortared
Word family
Forms
mortars
noun
mortaring
verb
mortared
verb
Related words
masonry
noun
mason
noun B1
Expressions
brick and mortar
1/bɹˈɪk ˈænd mˈɔɹtɚ/
fixed phrase
physical buildings, not virtual
Physical buildings used for business or living, not online or digital versions.
Examples
- Investors are moving money from brick and mortar into online businesses.
- The university is expanding beyond brick and mortar and offering more online courses.
- He prefers the security of brick and mortar over purely digital assets.
brick-and-mortar store
1/bɹˈɪk ˈænd mˈɔɹtɚ stˈɔɹ/
fixed phrase
physical store, not online
A shop or business that has a real building where customers go, not only a website.
Examples
- Many people still prefer to shop at a brick-and-mortar store so they can see the product in person.
- The company started online but later opened its first brick-and-mortar store in New York.
- Even with strong online sales, brick-and-mortar stores remain important for the brand.
mortar and pestle
1/mˈɔɹtɚ ˈænd pˈɛstl/
fixed phrase
bowl and tool for grinding
A strong bowl (mortar) and a heavy stick (pestle) used together to crush or grind food, medicine, or other things.
Examples
- She used a mortar and pestle to grind the spices for the curry.
- In the lab, students must clean the mortar and pestle after crushing the samples.
- Many traditional recipes call for a mortar and pestle instead of an electric grinder.