Meanings
nounclimbing boy (plural climbing boys)
plural climbing boys
- historicalA small child employed by a chimney sweep to ascend and clean flues.
Origin
From the fact that boys were often sold into labor to “climb” chimneys in the 1800s.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
climbing boy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/climbing%20boy
MLA
“climbing boy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/climbing%20boy. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “climbing boy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/climbing%20boy.
Source: climbing boy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.