refinery

noun

re·​fin·​ery ri-ˈfī-nə-rē How to pronounce refinery (audio)
-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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Almost 900 miles from Ukraine’s borders, a fire erupted at a Russian oil refinery on Saturday. Tim Lister, CNN Money, 12 Oct. 2025 The Phillips 66 refinery will start shutting down this month and end active fuel production at the end of 2025, the company said. Jason Ma, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2025 That deep investigative process reportedly will not happen in the wake of the October 2025 explosion and fire at a Chevron refinery in El Segundo, California, because of the federal government shutdown and lack of funding for the organization. Philip Steenstra, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2025 Among those sanctioned are Shandong Jincheng Petrochemical Group Co., a Chinese refinery accused of purchasing millions of barrels of Iranian oil since 2023, and the operator of the Rizhao Shihua Crude Oil Terminal, which allegedly received shipments from over a dozen vessels from a shadow fleet. Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for refinery

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1741, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of refinery was circa 1741

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Cite this Entry

“Refinery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refinery. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

refinery

noun
re·​fin·​ery ri-ˈfīn-(ə-)rē How to pronounce refinery (audio)
plural refineries
: a building and equipment for refining metals, oil, or sugar

More from Merriam-Webster on refinery

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