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

But Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Counter-Disinformation Center operating as part of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said on Telegram that a major oil refinery in the region was also targeted in the overnight attack. —David Brennan, ABC News, 11 June 2026

United Steelworkers Local 7-1 workers will have to spend more time without work at the BP Whiting refinery after an unsuccessful return to negotiations Wednesday. —Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 10 June 2026

Fedorishchev didn’t name the facilities that were damaged, but Astra carried images of a large fire at the Samara refinery. —Illia Novikov, Los Angeles Times, 10 June 2026

Data centers, oil refineries, and shipping lanes are the targets now, and low-cost drones have made striking them cheaper than ever. —Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 9 June 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