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

Saudi Arabia ships roughly 230,000 barrels of diesel through the Suez Canal from refineries close to Yemen, putting them at risk of Houthi attack, according to Homayoun Falakshahi, head of crude oil analysis at Kpler. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 22 July 2026

Ukraine hit 24 out of Russia's 34 largest refineries in the past three months, analysts with BofA Global Research note. — Matt Peterson, CNBC, 22 July 2026

Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries had doubled since the beginning of 2026, Reuters reported, contributing to refinery shutdowns and reduced production of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 20 July 2026

The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain acknowledged damage to their power grids or refineries from Iran. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 18 July 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