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Glite Dictionary
to brick over

to brick over

1 6.7
To close an opening like a door or window by building a brick wall across it
  • phrasal verb
  • /brɪk ˈoʊvər/
translation icon : cerrar con ladrillos
  • The builders decided to brick over the old doorway to create additional wall space.

Examples

  • To secure the abandoned passage, they bricked over the opening tightly.

  • The brick fireplaces had their jowls bricked over.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • After the renovations, they bricked over the unused entrance to improve the building's appearance.

Synonyms

to wall up
vsto brick over
3 6.1

Close an opening by building a wall across it

specifies using masonry to cover or seal rather than any barrier
to brick up
vsto brick over
2 5.2

To close an opening by building a solid wall of blocks

is used also for covering areas as well as closing openings
to brick in
vsto brick over
1 7.0

To close an opening by building a wall of bricks across it

is used also to cover areas as well as to close openings

Antonyms

to open
∞ 1.0

To make something not closed so you can get in

Surface Forms

brick over infinitive
bricked over past
bricked over past participle
bricking over present participle
bricks over third person singular

Morphology

brick + over

The meaning 'to cover or seal up with bricks' is directly derivable from combining 'brick' (the building block/material) with 'over' (indicating covering or closure). Converting the noun 'brick' into a verb meaning 'to apply bricks' is predictable and the particle 'over' clearly signals covering, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would likely infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

Brick over comes from a simple building picture: people put brick over an open doorway or window to close it. So, brick over means 'to cover or seal up' an opening.