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

As white smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel chimney earlier this month, Ham and his fellow Loyola students sprinted to St. Peter’s Square to watch as Pope Leo XIV first stepped out onto the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. —Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 17 May 2025

Another round of creation—this time from rock-dissolving microbial acids, carried upward by rising spring water—expanded the ancient caves from below and made new ones, with large chimneys climbing toward the surface. —Michael Ray Taylor, Smithsonian Magazine, 14 May 2025

A little over an hour after white smoke poured from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel signaling that a new pope had been chosen. —ABC News, 11 May 2025

When the white smoke billowed out from a chimney on May 8, announcing that the papal conclave had chosen a new pope, the first account that many saw trumpet the news on X was Pope Crave, a parody account that has been relentlessly covering the ins and outs of the process. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 9 May 2025

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