mor·tar [mortarmortarsmortaredmortaring] noun, verb BrE [ˈmɔːtə(r)] NAmE [ˈmɔːrtər] noun 1. uncountable a mixture of sand, water, ↑lime and ↑cement used in building for holding bricks and stones together 2. countable a heavy gun that fires bombs and ↑shells high into the air; the bombs that are fired by this gun •to come under mortar fire/attack 3. countable a small hard bowl in which you can crush substances such as seeds and grains into powder with a special object (called a ↑pestle) see bricks and mortar at ↑brickn.
Word Origin: n. senses 2 to 3 and v. late Old English Old French mortier Latin mortarium n. sense 1 Middle English Old French mortier Latin mortarium
Example Bank: •The occasional mortar burst near our truck. •Their troops were armed with mortars and machine guns. •They could not move their heavy mortars over the swampy ground. •We were under constant mortar fire. •hit by a mortar shell •Two soldiers were killed when their patrol came under mortar fire.
verb intransitive, transitive ~ (sb/sth) to attack sb/sth using a ↑mortar Verb forms:
Word Origin: n. senses 2 to 3 and v. late Old English Old French mortier Latin mortarium n. sense 1 Middle English Old French mortier Latin mortarium
