Illustration of mortar
- M mortar
- P pestle
1
: a sturdy vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed with a pestle
crushed the seeds in a mortar
2
[Middle French mortier]
a
: a portable muzzle-loading weapon having a tube short in relation to its caliber (see caliber sense 2b) that is used to throw bombs at high angles
mortars fired at the enemy positions
b
: any of several similar firing devices
: a shapable building material (such as a mixture of cement, lime, or gypsum plaster with sand and water) that hardens and is used in masonry or plastering
mortarless
adjective
mortared; mortaring; mortars
: to plaster or make fast with mortar
Examples of mortar in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
One of my favorite side dishes starts by rehydrating them, then pounding them in a mortar and pestle to release all that concentrated flavor.
—Julie Lin, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 June 2026
Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Shelburn’s neighbor, a stonemason, taught them how to mortar and lay bricks.
—Tory Basile, IndyStar, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mortar
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Noun
But according to law enforcement officials who have worked on cases involving e-bikes, many of the models being gifted to kids and teens that are bought from brick and mortar and online retailers are more akin to motorcycles than bicycles, and can reach dangerous speeds in seconds.
—Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026
One of my favorite side dishes starts by rehydrating them, then pounding them in a mortar and pestle to release all that concentrated flavor.
—Julie Lin, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 June 2026
Verb
Different people dug up the clay, shaped and fired it into bricks, carted them to the site, and mortared them in place.
—Literary Hub, 13 May 2026
Shelburn’s neighbor, a stonemason, taught them how to mortar and lay bricks.
—Tory Basile, IndyStar, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mortar
Cite this Entry
“Mortar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortar. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mortar
1 of 2 noun
mor·tar
ˈmȯrt-ər 
1
: a strong deep bowl in which substances are pounded or crushed with a pestle
2
: a short muzzle-loading cannon used to fire shells at a low speed and at high angles
mortar
2 of 2 noun
: a building material made of lime and cement mixed with sand and water that is spread between bricks or stones so as to hold them together when it hardens
mortar
verb
Medical Definition
mortar
noun
mor·tar
ˈmȯrt-ər
: a strong vessel in which material is pounded or rubbed with a pestle
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