{
    "term": "brick",
    "partOfSpeech": "noun",
    "ox5000": true,
    "cefr": "b2",
    "image": "data/images/ho/house_2.png",
    "definitions": [
        {
            "senseNumber": 1,
            "definition": "baked clay used for building walls, houses and other buildings; an individual block of this",
            "cefr": "b2",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "The school is built of brick."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a pile of bricks"
                },
                {
                    "text": "a brick wall"
                },
                {
                    "text": "He got a job at the local brick works."
                },
                {
                    "text": "Conservationists moved the whole house, brick by brick."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They put an extra course of bricks around the pool."
                },
                {
                    "text": "We rebuilt the fireplace using salvaged bricks."
                },
                {
                    "text": "a house of red brick"
                },
                {
                    "text": "learning to lay bricks properly"
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Buildings", "Physics and chemistry"],
            "collocations": {
                "adjective": ["red", "adobe", "clay"],
                "verb + brick": ["lay", "use", "hurl"],
                "brick + noun": ["wall", "building", "house"],
                "preposition": ["in brick", "of brick"],
                "phrases": ["brick by brick", "bricks and mortar", "a course of bricks"]
            }
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 2,
            "definition": "a plastic or wooden block, used as a toy for young children to build things with",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": 3,
            "definition": "a friend that you can rely on when you need help",
            "labels": "(British English, old-fashioned, informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Thanks for looking after the children today—you're a real brick."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to keep trying to do something that will never be successful",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Trying to reason with them was like banging my head against a brick wall."
                }
            ],
            "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to be unable to make any progress because there is a difficulty that stops you",
            "examples": [],
            "topics": ["Difficulty and failure"]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to say something that offends or embarrasses somebody, although you did not intend to",
            "labels": "(British English, informal)",
            "examples": []
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "very nervous",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She was like a cat on hot bricks before her driving test."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "very nervous",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "She was like a cat on a hot tin roof before her driving test."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "very heavily; very severely",
            "labels": "(informal)",
            "examples": [
                {
                    "text": "Disappointment hit her like a ton of bricks."
                },
                {
                    "text": "They **came down on him like a ton of bricks** *(= criticized him very severely)*."
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "senseNumber": null,
            "definition": "to try to work without the necessary material, money, information, etc.",
            "labels": "(British English)",
            "examples": []
        }
    ],
    "pronunciations": {
        "uk": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/brɪk/",
                "audio": "br/brick/brick__gb_2.mp3"
            }
        ],
        "us": [
            {
                "pronunciation": "/brɪk/",
                "audio": "br/brick/brick__us_1.mp3"
            }
        ]
    },
    "wordOrigin": "late Middle English: from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch bricke, brike; probably reinforced by Old French brique; of unknown ultimate origin."
}