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 plastic 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
Joan Morris, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
The company finally opened its first brick and mortar store where people can get their ears pierced and buy earrings in New York City later that year, ending the at-home piercing service and subscription boxes.
—Jennifer Liu
tasia Jensen, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2025
Xanthe Scharff, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for mortar
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Noun
My technique with my dog is to grind the pill with a mortar and pestle until it is broken down, like fine sand.
—Joan Morris, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025
The company finally opened its first brick and mortar store where people can get their ears pierced and buy earrings in New York City later that year, ending the at-home piercing service and subscription boxes.
—Jennifer Liu
tasia Jensen, CNBC, 20 Sep. 2025
Verb
Their homes, mortared with mud and topped with straw, are vulnerable to rain.
—Xanthe Scharff, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 July 2023
See All Example Sentences for mortar
Cite this Entry
“Mortar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortar. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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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