chimney

noun

chim·​ney ˈchim-nē 

plural chimneys

1

dialect : fireplace, hearth

2

: a vertical structure incorporated into a building and enclosing a flue or flues that carry off smoke

especially : the part of such a structure extending above a roof

3

: smokestack

4

: a tube usually of glass placed around a flame (as of a lamp)

5

: something resembling a chimney: such as

a

: a narrow cleft or passage in rock

b

: a tall column of rock on the ocean floor that is formed by the precipitation of minerals from superheated water issuing from a hydrothermal vent and rising through the column of rock

chimneylike

ˈchim-nē-ˌlīk 

adjective

Examples of chimney in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

One home with a pool was nearly demolished; another was little more than a chimney and a pile of smoldering rubble. —Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 10 Dec. 2024

Homes were burned down to their skeletons and brick chimneys. —Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY, 21 Nov. 2024

Stone chimney Anne Hathaway’s California country home is—somewhat surprisingly—inspired by a Swiss Chalet. —Yelena Moroz Alpert, Architectural Digest, 20 Nov. 2024

Speirs led a pitch into an ice chimney, shoving his body through an opening of solid water-ice to one side, and softer snow ice on the other. —Corbin Reiff, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French chiminee, from Late Latin caminata, from Latin caminus furnace, fireplace, from Greek kaminos; perhaps akin to Greek kamara vault

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing chimney

• chimney breast
• chimney pot
• chimney stack
• chimney sweep
• chimney swift
• smoke like a chimney

Kids Definition

chimney

noun

chim·​ney ˈchim-nē 

plural chimneys

1

: a vertical structure extending above the roof of a building for carrying off smoke

2

: a tube usually of glass around a flame (as of a lamp)

3

: something resembling a chimney