chimney sweep

American  

Or chimney sweeper

noun

1. a person whose business it is to clean out chimneys.

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chimney sweep British  

noun

1. a person whose job is the cleaning out of soot from chimneys

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Etymology

Origin of chimney sweep

First recorded in 1605–15

Example Sentences

For many Americans, Van Dyke will always be Rob Petrie, tumbling over ottomans on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” or Bert the chimney sweep, dancing across London rooftops in “Mary Poppins.”

From Salon • Dec. 13, 2025

The chimney sweep comforts the kids by showing why their father should not be feared, but pitied.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2025

Sherman considered “Mary Poppins,” which starred Andrews in the title role and Dick Van Dyke as Bert the chimney sweep, as “the turning point in our lives, and it’s the highest point in our career.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 25, 2024

He and his men were struggling to clean out the barrel of their mud-encrusted howitzer with a long metal brush like a chimney sweep.

From New York Times • May 1, 2023

Except for his pudgy face, he might’ve been a chimney sweep out of Oliver Twist.

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs