noun
refinery
rih-FEYE-nuh-rih
noun
1
A facility where raw materials such as oil, sugar, or metal ore are processed and purified.
"The oil refinery employs thousands of workers."
"Sugar refineries process raw cane into the white sugar we buy."
How to Use Refinery
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA plant or factory where a raw material is purified into a usable product.
Common pairings
oil refinery
sugar refinery
Word Forms
refineries plural
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The oil _____ employs thousands of workers.
Etymology
From refine plus the place-noun suffix -ry.