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

The willingness of such refineries in China to defy American sanctions on buying Iranian oil has been an economic lifeline for Tehran. —Emily Feng, NPR, 24 June 2025

Smoke billows in the distance from an oil refinery following an Israeli strike on the Iranian capital Tehran on June 17, 2025. —Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025

In practice, seven justices ruled that challenges to the EPA’s rejection of exemptions for biofuel blending requirements at oil refineries needed to be heard in D.C. —Rachel Frazin, The Hill, 18 June 2025

Both countries have bombed each other’s oil refineries in the early days of the war. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 18 June 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