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

Discussing artificial intelligence, which should prove a major driver of the automation side of the business going forward, Kapur said that Honeywell has the data across industries needed to train AIs destined for an oil refinery, or a life sciences facility, or a hospital. —Zev Fima, CNBC, 29 Jan. 2026

By 2020, Venezuela’s refineries had crumbled to the point that the country had to start importing gasoline from Iran. —The Atlantic, 29 Jan. 2026

So the more supply that comes in to those refineries, lower gasoline prices are going to come here. —CBS News, 29 Jan. 2026

Curtis said Gulf Coast refineries are already equipped to handle the viscous Venezuelan oil since those refineries were built to process similar grades of oil from Canada and Mexico. —Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Jan. 2026

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