chimney-stack

A tall chimney-stack releases white steam into the clear blue sky.

Definition

Noun: A chimney-stack is a tall, vertical structure composed of multiple flues or a single large flue, typically made of brick, stone, or metal, that serves to exhaust smoke, gases, and combustion byproducts from a building, especially from an industrial facility such as a factory or power plant. It is distinct from a single residential chimney, often being larger and part of a grouping or array.

Usage Examples

• (A large, single exhaust structure for an industrial building.)
• (A structure containing multiple flues, often for aesthetic or functional purposes.)
• (The exhaust structure of an industrial facility.)

Advanced Usage

• "to cap a chimney-stack": to install a protective covering or device at the top of the stack to prevent rain, animals, or debris from entering.
  • The maintenance crew capped the chimney-stack to stop birds from nesting inside. (They added a protective cover.)
• "chimney-stack effect": a phenomenon in which hot gases rise naturally within a tall vertical shaft, creating a draft that draws air upward.
  • The chimney-stack effect helps ventilate the underground parking garage. (The natural upward air movement due to heat.)

Variants and Related Words

• Chimney (n): a general term for a vertical structure that carries smoke from a fireplace or furnace.
  • The chimney on the cottage needed cleaning before winter. (A single-flue residential exhaust.)
• Stack (n): a tall, cylindrical or rectangular structure, often used for industrial exhaust.
  • The power plant's stack emitted steam into the sky. (A synonym for chimney-stack in industrial contexts.)

Synonyms

• Smokestack: a tall chimney used for industrial exhaust, especially on factories or ships.
  • The smokestack of the steamboat billowed black smoke. (A synonym emphasizing smoke emission.)
• Flue: a duct or pipe for conveying smoke or gases, often part of a chimney-stack.
  • Each fireplace in the building connected to a separate flue within the chimney-stack. (A single channel within the structure.)

Related Idioms

• "like a chimney-stack": used metaphorically to describe something that is tall, rigid, or constantly emitting something (e.g., smoke or noise).
  • The old boiler room was like a chimney-stack, always pouring out heat. (A simile for continuous emission.)

Phrasal Verbs (None directly associated with "chimney-stack"; note: "stack up" is unrelated but listed for completeness)

• Stack up: to accumulate or compare.
  • The bricks were stacked up to build the chimney-stack. (To pile or arrange.)