smokestack

[ smohk-stak ]

noun

1. Also called stack. a pipe for the escape of the smoke or gases of combustion, as on a steamboat, locomotive, or building.

adjective

1. pertaining to, engaged in, or dependent on a basic heavy industry, as steel or automaking:

   smokestack companies.

smokestack

/ ˈsməʊkˌstæk /

noun

1. a tall chimney that conveys smoke into the air Sometimes shortened tostack

Word History and Origins

Origin of smokestack¹

First recorded in 1855–60; smoke + stack

Example Sentences

Satellite images currently might confuse clouds or a smokestack for fires, Van Arsdale said.

From Los Angeles Times

Beyond the highway, a smokestack at a nearby oil refinery billowed toxins.

From Seattle Times

A photograph was even circulated, depicting smoke spewing from the building’s smokestack!

From Seattle Times

It’s shiny silver and resembles an RV—has a door and wide windows on the sides—but it also has a smokestack and big wheels with pistons like a locomotive.

From Literature

It could also help create a market for the vast amounts of CO2 that companies are planning on capturing not just from smokestacks, but from the ocean and air.

From Science Magazine

Related Words

• industrialized
• mechanical
• modern
• technical