A refinery is a factory where a substance such as oil or sugar is refined.
refinery in British English
(rɪˈfaɪnərɪ)
nounWord forms: plural-eries
a factory for the purification of some crude material, such as ore, sugar, oil, etc
refinery in American English
(rɪˈfaɪnəri)
nounWord forms: pluralreˈfineries
an establishment or plant for refining, or purifying, such raw materials as oil, metal, or sugar
Word origin
< refine + -ery, based on Fr raffinerie
Examples of 'refinery' in a sentence
refinery
So investing more in discovering oil and building new refineries is vital.
The Sun (2008)
It is well placed to build terminals and refineries and to hire oil workers for offshore operations.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
But it may also require very little skill, as in the typical oil refinery.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
But it appears to have left infrastructure networks, oil refineries and other sensitive targets unaffected.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The sea brought sugar refinery to Greenock and the riches of tobacco trading to a generation of new entrepreneurs.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
When an oil company builds a refinery, it decides at the outset what it will produce and constructs it accordingly.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
The solution is to build two new refineries in the north of the country, with capacity for almost one million barrels per day.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
One of Britain's biggest oil refineries faced a second day of wildcat strikes.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
At the age of 9 he moved to the latter city, where his father worked in a sugar refinery.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Oil refineries are closing.
The Sun (2012)
The closure of part of Scotland's only oil refinery yesterday added to growing fears of a return to record fuel prices.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
I visited a large sugar refinery and observed the process by which sugar is converted from rough cane to fine, white crystals for the table.
Randolph, Theron G. & Moss, Ralph W. (contributor) An Alternative Approach to Allergies (1990)
A worker from the local oil refinery said he could see'dark spots' on the river.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The dispute at the Lincolnshire oil refinery was a demand for special protection for British workers on the ground of their nationality rather than their productivity.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
At the last, known as something unique and far better than the site of one more oil refinery, the village is not bought out.
Christianity Today (2000)
In other languages
refinery
British English: refinery /rɪˈfaɪnərɪ/ NOUN
A refinery is a factory which prepares a substance such as oil or sugar.
...an oil refinery.
American English: refinery
Arabic: معمل التكرير
Brazilian Portuguese: refinaria
Chinese: 炼油厂
Croatian: rafinerija
Czech: rafinérie
Danish: raffinaderi
Dutch: raffinaderij
European Spanish: refinería
Finnish: jalostamo
French: raffinerie
German: Raffinerie
Greek: διυλιστήριο
Italian: raffineria
Japanese: 精製所
Korean: 정제소
Norwegian: raffineri
Polish: rafineria
European Portuguese: refinaria
Romanian: rafinărie
Russian: очистительный завод
Latin American Spanish: refinería
Swedish: raffinaderi
Thai: โรงกลั่น
Turkish: rafineri
Ukrainian: очисний завод
Vietnamese: nhà máy lọc
All related terms of 'refinery'
oil refinery
a place where oil is refined
refinery revamp
A refinery revamp is a change in the technology or processes used in a refinery.
sugar refinery
a factory where sugar is refined
refinery upgrade
A refinery upgrade is the process of introducing the newest technology in some parts of the refinery.
refinery modernization
Refinery modernization is the process of making a refinery more modern by using new technology or processes.
refinery waste disposal
Refinery waste disposal is the system for dealing with waste materials, especially hazardous ones, in a refinery.
unplanned shutdown of refinery
An unplanned shutdown of refinery is when processes in a refinery are stopped unexpectedly, often because something hazardous has happened.