steeplejack

noun

stee·​ple·​jack ˈstē-pəl-ˌjak How to pronounce steeplejack (audio)
: a person whose work is building smokestacks, towers, or steeples or climbing up the outside of them to paint and make repairs

Examples of steeplejack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In 1876, Cincinnati Commercial reporter Lafcadio Hearn wrote about accompanying a steeplejack to climb to the top of the spire. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 8 Aug. 2021 Jim Phelan, a steeplejack who installs and repairs flagpoles, remembers a childhood visit to the Bolander plant, when Larry Sr. Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2018 When City Hall’s flagpole ropes busted two weeks ago, maintenance supervisor Daynon Arrington couldn’t find a steeplejack in Kansas City. Sarah Gish, kansascity, 20 Dec. 2017 The 15-year-old junior steeplejack will also be charged with a curfew violation. Bruce Geiselman, cleveland.com, 24 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'steeplejack.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1852, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of steeplejack was in 1852

Dictionary Entries Near steeplejack

Cite this Entry

“Steeplejack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/steeplejack. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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