ENGLISH
REFERENCE

brick up

phr. v..
B2 Upper Intermediate Oxford

phr. v.. to close an opening, like a window or door, by building a wall of bricks across it.

phr. v.. to seal or block an aperture in a structure using masonry; typically used in the context of architectural modification or permanent closure.


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.

Particles
up
Separability
optional
Pattern
brick + up + object
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.

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