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

These homes were traditionally one-story, log structures with chimneys on the far sides of each end of the house. —Maggie Burch, Southern Living, 6 Dec. 2023

Potato-size nodules of iron and manganese litter the seafloor, and metal-rich crusts cover underwater mountains and chimneys along hydrothermal vents. —Kate Golembiewski, New York Times, 21 Nov. 2023

Smoke billows from chimneys at a chemical factory in Hefei, China, March 10, 2010. —WSJ, 24 Nov. 2023

Stars including Jana Kramer, Teri Hatcher, Vivica A. Fox, Jackée Harry and Tatyana Ali will be making sure the twinkle lights are installed en masse and the stockings are hung by the chimneys with care this season. —Antonia Debianchi, Peoplemag, 6 Nov. 2023

The set comes with a roasting chimney, grill top, and skewers, plus a ceramic tray for organizing graham crackers, chocolate, and marshmallows. —Anna Popp, Travel + Leisure, 17 Nov. 2023

The second word my son signed was bird—beaked finger to thumb, bird for everything outside—window, sky, tree, roof, chimney, aerial, airplane—birds. —Raymond Antrobus, The New Yorker, 16 Oct. 2023

Limbs from the bottom one-third of trees and within a 10-feet radius of the chimney. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2023

By the time it was eventually covered by silt, the 1.5-inch shell had collected a tight tangle of 88 tubes, resembling a forest of little chimneys. —Asher Elbein, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2023

See More

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

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

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