firebrick

noun

fire·​brick ˈfī(-ə)r-ˌbrik How to pronounce firebrick (audio)
: a refractory brick capable of sustaining high temperatures that is used especially for lining furnaces or fireplaces

Examples of firebrick in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The researchers used computer models to compare costs, land needs, health impacts, and emissions for two scenarios: one where firebricks provided 90% of industrial process heat and one in which no firebricks were used. New Atlas, 5 Aug. 2024 Across the 149 countries, compared to the scenario where firebricks weren’t used, using firebricks was found to cut capital costs in 2050 by a substantial US$1.27 trillion. New Atlas, 5 Aug. 2024 Keep the firebricks in place by corralling them behind a strip of molding, attached where the hearth extension meets the flooring in the room. Jeanne Huber, Washington Post, 17 Nov. 2023 The other is lined with furnace cement, then covered with firebricks laid in place without mortar. Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 4 Apr. 2023 Set inside a circular wooden fence a few miles out of town, with the Sangre de Cristo range of the Rocky Mountains looming in the background, the pyre itself is a utilitarian structure: two waist-high stuccoed concrete walls lined inside with firebrick, and spanned by a plain metal grate. New York Times, 18 May 2022 Siemens built a new glass furnace with a small network of firebrick tubes. Jonathan Schifman, Popular Mechanics, 9 July 2018 Its dense firebrick floor draws and holds the fire’s heat; the insulated crown stores heat overhead, balancing the thermal mass and radiating heat downward. Janet Fletcher, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Jan. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1749, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of firebrick was in 1749

Dictionary Entries Near firebrick

Cite this Entry

“Firebrick.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firebrick. Accessed 27 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

firebrick

noun
fire·​brick -ˌbrik How to pronounce firebrick (audio)
: a brick capable of resisting great heat and used for lining furnaces or fireplaces

More from Merriam-Webster on firebrick

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!