refinery

noun

re·​fin·​ery ri-ˈfī-nə-rē 

-ˈfīn-rē

plural refineries

: a building and equipment for refining or processing something (such as oil or sugar)

Examples of refinery in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

California officials are trying to kill the fossil fuel industry in the state while simultaneously seeking a buyer for Valero Energy’s Benicia refinery near San Francisco, which is scheduled to close in April because the company no longer wants to deal with the abuse from Sacramento. —Kerry Jackson, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025

Phillips 66 last fall announced plans to shut down its twin refineries in Carson and Wilmington by the end of 2025. —Rob Nikolewski, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Sep. 2025

According to a recent Bloomberg report, state officials were in talks to spend millions of dollars to keep Valero’s refinery in Benicia operating. —Nicole Nixon, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025

LanzaTech uses a myriad of feedstocks in its bioreactors, from raw municipal solid waste to agricultural and forestry residues to waste gases from steel, ferroalloy, and chemical refineries. —Erik Kobayashi-Solomon, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1741, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for refinery

• binary
• finery
• winery

Kids Definition

refinery

noun

re·​fin·​ery ri-ˈfīn-(ə-)rē 

plural refineries

: a building and equipment for refining metals, oil, or sugar