fireplace

fireplace — noun

1. an opening in an indoor wall where a fire is lit, often with a decorative border

1.nounB1
Definition

an opening in an indoor wall where a fire is lit, often with a decorative border around it and a shelf above

Example

The old stone fireplace in the living room had a large oak mantelpiece above it.

attributive: stone fireplace / marble fireplace / brick fireplace

Grandma sat by the fireplace every evening, knitting while the logs crackled.

collocation: sit by the fireplace

Common collocations
  • stone fireplace
  • brick fireplace
  • marble fireplace
  • gas fireplace
  • electric fireplace
  • wood-burning fireplace
  • fireplace mantel
  • fireplace screen
  • fireplace tools
  • fireplace insert
  • roaring fire in the fireplace
  • built-in fireplace
  • ornamental fireplace
  • decorative fireplace
Synonyms
  • hearth

    specifically the stone or brick floor of the fireplace; also used poetically to mean 'home'

  • firebox

    the inner chamber of a fireplace where the fire actually burns; a more technical term

  • inglenook

    a bench or seat built into the sides of a very large fireplace; quite rare in modern English

Usage Note

Often used with prepositions of position: in the fireplace (inside the opening), by or beside the fireplace (next to it), and above the fireplace (on the wall or shelf above it).

Common Mistakes

Smoke came out of the fireplace, so we called a cleaner.
Smoke came out of the chimney, so we called a cleaner.
Fireplace is the opening where the fire burns; chimney is the pipe that carries smoke out.
We built a stone fireplace in the garden for summer barbecues.
We built a stone fire pit in the garden for summer barbecues.
A fireplace is indoors and connected to a chimney; a fire pit is an outdoor structure without a chimney.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Fireplace, hearth, fire pit, and chimney are often confused by learners. A fireplace is the entire built-in structure in a room wall — the opening, frame, and shelf. Hearth refers specifically to the stone or brick floor of the fireplace, though it is also used symbolically to mean 'home' (hearth and home). A fire pit is an outdoor bowl or hole used for burning wood, with no chimney or wall connection. Chimney is the vertical pipe or structure that carries smoke from the fireplace (or stove) out of the building. For example: 'They gathered around the fire pit in the backyard, not the fireplace indoors.' And: 'Smoke rose through the chimney, blackening the bricks above the hearth.'

hearthfire pitchimney ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • stone ~
  • brick ~
  • marble ~
  • gas ~
  • electric ~
  • wood-burning ~
  • modern ~
  • traditional ~
  • decorative ~
  • ornamental ~

Phrases

  • ~ mantel
  • ~ screen
  • ~ tools
  • ~ insert
  • ~ surround

Prepositions

  • in the ~
  • by the ~
  • beside the ~
  • above the ~
  • in front of the ~
  • around the ~

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

A compound of fire + place, first recorded in English around the 17th century. Before this term became common, speakers used words like hearth (from Old English heorþ) to refer to the indoor fire structure. The compound fireplace specifically named the location or 'place' where a fire was built inside a home.