smelter

noun

smelt·​er ˈsmel-tər 

: one that smelts:

a

: a worker who smelts ore

b

: an owner or operator of a smeltery

c

or smeltery

ˈsmel-t(ə-)rē 

: an establishment for smelting

Examples of smelter in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

For five days, toxic fumes from a zinc smelter – a plant that turns zinc ore into pure zinc metal – poured out of the factory’s stacks, became trapped in the valley and thus blanketed Donora. —Ella Whitman, The Conversation, 19 Mar. 2026

Rio Tinto, with smelters in Canada and Australia, is one of the world's major aluminum suppliers. —CNBC, 4 Mar. 2026

In the 1980s, the Environmental Protection Agency collected samples from around the former Montana smelter and sent them to the Centers for Disease Control for review. —Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 1 Mar. 2026

The smelter is in a room roughly the size of a walk-in closet. —Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for smelter

• belter
• melter
• shelter
• skelter
• spelter
• welter

Kids Definition

smelter

noun

smelt·​er ˈsmel-tər 

1

: a person whose work or business is smelting

2

or smeltery

-tə-rē

: an establishment for smelting