furnace

American  

[fur-nis] / ˈfɜr nɪs /

noun

1. a structure or apparatus in which heat may be generated, as for heating houses, smelting ores, or producing steam.

2. a place characterized by intense heat.

   The volcano was a seething furnace.

3. Astronomy. Furnace, the constellation Fornax.

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verb (used with object)

furnaced, furnacing

1. to heat (a metal piece) in a furnace.

furnace British  

/ ˈfɜːnɪs /

noun

1. an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to generate steam, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc

2. a very hot or stifling place

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Other Word Forms

• furnace-like adjective
• furnacelike adjective

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”

Example Sentences

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

The general tone of the film is anticlimactic, but Thomas and Duke are on trajectories that spell out “tragedy” in furnace smoke across a northern English sky.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

And sometimes there has been a higher purpose to these arguments: occasionally, from the white-hot furnace of debate, truth can emerge.

From BBC • Mar. 7, 2026

Unlike a gas furnace, which burns fuel to create heat, a heat pump compresses and expands a refrigerant, like a refrigerator in reverse.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2026

Whole squad got more heat than a furnace.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

Related Words

• boiler
• heater
• heating system
• incinerator
• kiln
• stove