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noun

refinery

CEFR B2

an industrial plant for purifying a crude substance

In a sentence

Six example sentences with refinery, each labelled with its topic.

  • When the coastal refinery shut for maintenance, pump prices across three states climbed within a fortnight.

    Economics

  • Flare stacks at the refinery burn off gases that residents blame for the haze hanging over the estuary each August.

    Environment

  • Our ferry passed a refinery whose pipes and towers glowed orange all night, turning the harbour into a metal city.

    Travel

  • The first oil refinery in Pennsylvania opened in 1861, boiling crude in iron stills to draw off lamp kerosene.

    History

  • The sugar company's refinery near the docks turns raw cane into white crystals for every bakery in the region.

    Business

  • Shares in the fuel company fell after a fire shut its largest refinery, and analysts cut the year's profit forecast.

    Finance

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