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

It is currently spending millions keeping furnaces burning at both sites.

From BBC

The government stepped in to prevent the closure of the last two remaining blast furnaces in the UK in April 2025, preventing job losses and serious impact on industry, the report said.

From BBC

The gold-plated figure she’d won for “Fantastic Beasts” was warped and blackened by heat, its surface blistered and twisted like something pulled from a furnace.

From Los Angeles Times

The loss was driven by the tariff costs and lower shipments of steel, as well as the company’s accelerated transition toward making its steel using electric arc furnaces, Algoma said.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

From BBC

Related Words

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