steeplejack

American

[stee-puhl-jak] / ˈsti pəlˌdʒæk /

noun

a person who climbs steeples, towers, or the like, to build or repair them.

steeplejack British

/ ˈstiːpəlˌdʒæk /

noun

a person trained and skilled in the construction and repair of steeples, chimneys, etc

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of steeplejack

First recorded in 1880–85; steeple + jack ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Steeplejack Lawson was to get $15 for the job.

From Time Magazine Archive

"Steeplejack" Huneker, as he was known, liked to exasperate the uplifters of the late Victorian era by his disgraceful behavior.

From Time Magazine Archive

Steeplejack In Newark, N. J., John E. Gallagher, 62, veteran steeplejack, fell down six steps in his home, died.

From Time Magazine Archive

But it was our Steeplejack, James Huneker, who was our pioneer watcher of the skies.

From Turns about Town by Holliday, Robert Cortes

In his "Steeplejack," James Huneker speaks of his weekly walks with Mr. Edward Roth, the head of a military school and the author of "Christus Judex."

From Confessions of a Book-Lover by Egan, Maurice Francis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023