Illustration of adobe
- adobe 2
1
: a brick or building material of sun-dried earth and straw
2
: a structure made of adobe bricks
3
: a heavy clay used in making adobe bricks
broadly
: alluvial or playa clay in desert or arid regions
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Handmade sun-dried bricks, adobes are formed from a mixture of heavy clay and straw found in dry regions. As a building material, adobes date back thousands of years and are found in many parts of the world. Molds for shaping the bricks were brought to the New World by the Spanish. Excellent insulating properties make adobes ideal material for both dwellings and ovens; home interiors retain heat in winter and stay cool in summer. The adobe buildings at Taos, New Mexico, are typical of Native American pueblo dwellings.
Examples of adobe in a Sentence
The house was built of adobe.
Recent Examples on the Web
Preservation regulations prohibited any alteration to the adobe walls, so the addition could not be attached in a conventional way.
—
Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 19 Mar. 2026
Across the high desert landscape, along with southwestern homes with adobe walls and red clay tile roofs, there is a striking collection of contemporary homes that embrace the city’s strong qualities of light, place, and culture.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 18 Mar. 2026
Both were the children of peasant farmers and had grown up in homes made of adobe and sticks.
—Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, the 125-room property has swoon-worthy adobe architecture, two on-site restaurants, a spa, and locally made art throughout the grounds.
—Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2026
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Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 19 Mar. 2026
Across the high desert landscape, along with southwestern homes with adobe walls and red clay tile roofs, there is a striking collection of contemporary homes that embrace the city’s strong qualities of light, place, and culture.
—Demetrius Simms, Robb Report, 18 Mar. 2026
Both were the children of peasant farmers and had grown up in homes made of adobe and sticks.
—Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
Part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, the 125-room property has swoon-worthy adobe architecture, two on-site restaurants, a spa, and locally made art throughout the grounds.
—Cu Fleshman, Travel + Leisure, 28 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for adobe
Cite this Entry
“Adobe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adobe. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
adobe
noun
ado·be
ə-ˈdō-bē 
1
: a brick or building material made of a sun-dried mixture of earth and straw
2
: a building made of adobe bricks
Etymology
Spanish
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