smokestack

1 of 2

noun

smoke·​stack ˈsmōk-ˌstak How to pronounce smokestack (audio)
: a pipe or funnel through which smoke and gases are discharged

smokestack

2 of 2

adjective

: of, relating to, being, or characterized by manufacturing and especially heavy industry
smokestack industries

Examples of smokestack in a Sentence

Adjective She invested in smokestack stocks. Car manufacturing and other smokestack industries need to adapt to the global economy.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Warehouses may not have smokestacks releasing pollutants that the EPA and local agencies typically regulate. Justine Calma, The Verge, 12 Sep. 2024 In the days when the Harlem River was lined with smokestack industry, its bridges swung open and closed constantly, six or seven times a day, to let ships through. Christopher Bonanos, Curbed, 12 July 2024
Adjective
Service companies dominate the list of Arizona's largest employers,with relatively few smokestack industries here, which helps explain why Arizona just received another so-so grade as a manufacturing center. Russ Wiles, azcentral, 2 Aug. 2019 The industry trend toward higher production and profits with lower employment started to run into serious trouble in the 1990s with the imposition of new environmental regulations against smokestack pollution that made coal more expensive to burn. Chris Stirewalt, Fox News, 21 Aug. 2018 See all Example Sentences for smokestack 

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

1926, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of smokestack was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near smokestack

Cite this Entry

“Smokestack.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/smokestack. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

smokestack

noun
smoke·​stack
ˈsmōk-ˌstak
: a large chimney or pipe for carrying away smoke (as on a factory or ship)

More from Merriam-Webster on smokestack

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