flue.

A passage that carries smoke or combustion gases from a fire or appliance to the outside.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• blocked flue
• chimney flue
• clear the flue

On the page

Smoke entered the room because a bird's nest blocked the flue.

The installer checked the stove's flue before lighting a test fire.

A draught whispered down the unused flue into the cold fireplace.

Usage notes

Primary category: architecture. May run inside a chimney or be a separate pipe; the chimney is not necessarily the flue itself. Count noun: flues.