bricklaying

IPA/ˈbrɪkleɪɪŋ/
IPA/ˈbrɪkleɪɪŋ/

bricklaying — noun

1. the work of laying bricks with mortar to build walls and similar parts of a stru

1.nounC1
Definition

the work of laying bricks with mortar to build walls and similar parts of a structure.

Example

Rohan learned bricklaying while helping repair houses after the flood.

learn bricklaying

Good bricklaying kept the school wall straight through years of rain.

good bricklaying

Common collocations
  • learn bricklaying
  • bricklaying skills
  • bricklaying course
  • careful bricklaying
  • traditional bricklaying
Synonyms
  • masonry

    broader — can include work with stone, concrete, or brick

  • brickwork

    usually names the finished brick structure rather than the trade itself

  • construction

    much broader — includes many kinds of building work besides laying bricks

Grammar Patterns

learn bricklaying

do bricklaying

good bricklaying

bricklaying course

Usage Note

Usually treated as an uncountable noun. It often appears after verbs like learn, teach, and do when you mean the trade or skill, and after adjectives such as careful or skilled when you focus on the quality of the work.

Common Mistakes

Eli works in bricklaying as a bricklaying.
Eli works in bricklaying as a bricklayer.
'bricklaying' names the work or trade, while 'bricklayer' names the person.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Bricklaying names the activity or trade of laying bricks in place to build something such as a wall, chimney, or step. Masonry is broader, because it can include working with stone, concrete blocks, or other hard materials, not only brick. Brickwork usually points more to the finished brick structure or the visible pattern of the bricks than to the job itself. Construction is broader again and can include planning, digging, wiring, roofing, and many other tasks. If someone learns how to set bricks neatly with mortar, bricklaying is the most exact word.

bricklaying ↗masonry ↗brickwork ↗construction ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • learn bricklaying
  • do bricklaying
  • go into bricklaying
  • teach bricklaying

Etymology

English

Bricklaying is an English compound built from brick and laying. It developed as a straightforward name for the activity of setting bricks in place with mortar, and from there it also came to refer to the trade or skill itself.

First known use

15th century

15th century, in the meaning defined above