smokestack

1 of 2

noun

smoke·​stack ˈsmōk-ˌstak 

: a pipe or funnel through which smoke and gases are discharged

smokestack

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, being, or characterized by manufacturing and especially heavy industry

smokestack industries

Examples of smokestack in a Sentence

Adjective

She invested in smokestack stocks.

Car manufacturing and other smokestack industries need to adapt to the global economy.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Warehouses may not have smokestacks releasing pollutants that the EPA and local agencies typically regulate. —Justine Calma, The Verge, 12 Sep. 2024

In the days when the Harlem River was lined with smokestack industry, its bridges swung open and closed constantly, six or seven times a day, to let ships through. —Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 12 July 2024

Adjective

Service companies dominate the list of Arizona's largest employers,with relatively few smokestack industries here, which helps explain why Arizona just received another so-so grade as a manufacturing center. —Russ Wiles, azcentral, 2 Aug. 2019

The industry trend toward higher production and profits with lower employment started to run into serious trouble in the 1990s with the imposition of new environmental regulations against smokestack pollution that made coal more expensive to burn. —Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, 21 Aug. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

smokestack

noun

smoke·​stack

ˈsmōk-ˌstak

: a large chimney or pipe for carrying away smoke (as on a factory or ship)