smelter

American  

[smel-ter] / ˈsmɛl tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that smelts.

2. a person who owns or works in a place where ores are smelted.

3. a place where ores are smelted.

---

smelter British  

/ ˈsmɛltə /

noun

1. a person engaged in smelting

2. Also called: smeltery.  an industrial plant in which smelting is carried out

---

Etymology

Origin of smelter

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; smelt ¹ + -er ¹

Example Sentences

Aluminum prices are near a four-year high that was reached earlier this month amid war-related smelter closures across the Gulf, which accounts for around 10% of global supply.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

A smelter can consume as much power as a large U.S. city.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Matt Aboud, Century’s senior vice president of strategy, said building a smelter has become a lost art in the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

Aluminum Company, which will turn molten metal from the smelter into products such as specialty alloys and wire rod.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 12, 2026

His invention, it turned out, could also cleanse noxious vapors and particulates from smelter effluent, coal particles from mine air, and much more.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik