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 Orinoco should be developed, produced, and exported to American’s own Gulf Coast refineries, particularly those configured to handle heavy and extra-heavy petroleum.
—
Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
At oil refineries, advanced algorithms can constantly adjust fuel blends, processing temperatures, and flow rates across dozens of interconnected units, analyzing thousands of variables each second to squeeze every ounce of efficiency from the operation.
—Vimal Kapur, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
The change could repeal limits on pollutants from coal-burning power plants, oil refineries, steel mills and other industrial facilities nationwide, according to the outlet, which could lower costs for companies but result in dirtier air.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
Building refineries is extremely expensive, potentially costing billions of dollars, Lyulkin said.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for refinery
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Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 25 Jan. 2026
At oil refineries, advanced algorithms can constantly adjust fuel blends, processing temperatures, and flow rates across dozens of interconnected units, analyzing thousands of variables each second to squeeze every ounce of efficiency from the operation.
—Vimal Kapur, Time, 19 Jan. 2026
The change could repeal limits on pollutants from coal-burning power plants, oil refineries, steel mills and other industrial facilities nationwide, according to the outlet, which could lower costs for companies but result in dirtier air.
—Maya Wilkins, Chicago Tribune, 17 Jan. 2026
Building refineries is extremely expensive, potentially costing billions of dollars, Lyulkin said.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for refinery
Cite this Entry
“Refinery.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/refinery. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
refinery
noun
re·fin·ery
ri-ˈfīn-(ə-)rē
plural refineries
: a building and equipment for refining metals, oil, or sugar
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