furnace
Americannoun
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a structure or apparatus in which heat may be generated, as for heating houses, smelting ores, or producing steam.
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a place characterized by intense heat.
The volcano was a seething furnace.
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Astronomy. Furnace, the constellation Fornax.
verb (used with object)
noun
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an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to generate steam, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc
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a very hot or stifling place
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of furnace
First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English furneis, furnais, from Old French fornais, fournais, from Latin fornāc- (stem of fornāx “kiln, oven”), akin to formus “warm”
Explanation
A furnace is an appliance that heats houses and buildings by burning fuel or circulating hot water. Your furnace might rumble in the basement, sending heat up through your house's radiators. Most houses in cold climates have a furnace, to warm their rooms during the chilly months of the year. Furnaces also have industrial uses, like burning trash or extracting ore from metal. If someone says, "It's as hot as a furnace in this classroom!" they mean that it's extremely hot. Furnace comes from the Old French fornaise, "oven," with the Latin root word fornacem, "oven or kiln."
Vocabulary lists containing furnace
Mockingbird
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Unit 4: Powerful Openings
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Unit 1, Words to Know
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The new electric arc furnace was hoped to be up and running by the end of 2027, replacing the traditional blast furnaces which closed two years ago with the loss of 2,000 jobs.
From BBC • Jun. 7, 2026
In October 2024, Tata Steel's last blast furnace was switched off, with the aim of building a new electric arc furnace by the end of 2027.
From BBC • May 31, 2026
It has a new pool, new roof, new windows and new furnace — but the six-bedroom house in Indianapolis has gotten exactly zero offers since it was put on the market two months ago.
From MarketWatch • May 13, 2026
The typical house is well past the age when the roof needs repairs and the furnace needs replacing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026
In the car Phaëthon, hardly keeping his place there, was wrapped in thick smoke and heat as if from a fiery furnace.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
