Phrasal verb
brick up
Definition
phrasal verb. to close an opening, like a window or door, by building a wall of bricks across it.
phrasal verb. to seal or block an aperture in a structure using masonry; typically used in the context of architectural modification or permanent closure.
Examples
“They decided to brick up the old fireplace.”
“The owners had to brick up the side window to comply with the new privacy laws.”
“During the renovation, the architect suggested we brick up the redundant doorway to create a more continuous gallery space for the paintings.”
Examples
simple
“They decided to brick up the old fireplace.”
contextual
“The owners had to brick up the side window to comply with the new privacy laws.”
complex
“During the renovation, the architect suggested we brick up the redundant doorway to create a more continuous gallery space for the paintings.”
Usage
usually takes a physical opening like a door, window, or archway as its object.
Teaching tip
this is a literal phrasal verb where 'up' implies completion or total closure; compare with 'board up' which uses wood instead of bricks.
Pitfall
They bricked the window up with stones.
They bricked up the window.
while 'brick up' is separable, the material is implied by the verb itself; if using stones, use 'block up' or 'wall up' instead.
Phrasal verb
Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
brick + up + object
Synonyms
Antonyms
Grammar
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/brick-up