refinery
gb/ɹɪfˈaɪnɚi/ us/ɹɪfˈaɪnɚi/
B2
English
~ 9900
Senses
0 senses
Noun
technical
B2
entity
1
industrial plant for refining materials
A large factory where things like oil, sugar, or metals are cleaned and changed so they can be used.
Usage pattern:
a refinery for [material]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse "refinery" with "refinement" or "to refine". "Refinery" is a place (a factory), while "refinement" is the process or the improvement itself, and "to refine" is the verb. Another mistake is using it without mentioning what is refined; in natural English, it is usually specified, as in "oil refinery" or "sugar refinery."
Synonyms
processing plant (General term for an industrial site where materials are processed; not limited to purification, but often used in a similar way.)
|
industrial plant (Very broad; refers to any large factory or industrial facility, not specifically one that purifies raw materials.)
Collocations
oil refinery
|sugar refinery
|refinery capacity
|refinery output
|refinery worker
|refinery shutdown
Themes
industry
|energy
|business
|environment
|science
|technology
Examples
- The company built a new oil refinery near the coast to handle rising crude imports.
- An explosion at the refinery caused a temporary shortage of gasoline across the region.
- Stricter environmental rules forced the refinery to upgrade its waste treatment system.
- Sugar from nearby farms is processed at a large refinery on the edge of town.
- Many local jobs depend on the operation of the refinery and its suppliers.
Learner examples
- He works at an oil refinery outside the city.
- The refinery turns crude oil into gasoline and diesel.
- The old sugar refinery closed because it was too expensive to run.
- Smoke from the refinery can be seen from the highway.
- The government wants the refinery to cut its air pollution.
Grammar
Dictionary form
refinery
IPA
GB/ɹɪfˈaɪnɚi/
US/ɹɪfˈaɪnɚi/
Syllables & stress
re - finery (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (finery)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: refinery
- Plural: refineries
Word family
Forms
refineries
noun
Core family
Related words
refiner
noun
Negative and opposite forms
unrefined
adjective
Advanced or less common
refinable
adjective
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.