furnace

noun

fur·​nace ˈfər-nəs How to pronounce furnace (audio)
: an enclosed structure in which heat is produced (as for heating a house or for reducing ore)

Examples of furnace in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Be sure to check the manufacturer's instructions to determine the best way to clean your air conditioner or furnace filter, but the steps below will work for most reusable filters. Jessica Bennett, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Mar. 2024 There were golf clubs and guitars and, somehow, furnaces. Paige Williams, The New Yorker, 18 Mar. 2024 Like my furnace contractor struggling to understand my puzzling radiators, spinning your wheels searching for or recreating valuable knowledge is wasteful, demoralizing and bad for business. Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Red mud is deposited in an electric arc furnace, where it is subjected to the extremely high temperatures of a plasma containing 10 percent hydrogen. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 7 Feb. 2024 The O'Connell family enlisted the help of environmentalist Scott Smith to test their furnace filters. Alex Presha, ABC News, 2 Feb. 2024 Heating and air conditioning vans were parked on the street, and crews brought equipment to replace the building's natural gas furnace with more efficient electric heat pumps. Jeff Brady, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024 In 2023 heat pumps outsold gas furnaces in the United States for the second year running, a climate win. Cara Buckley, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2024 The center’s recent grant will fund trials focused on creating more efficient electric arc furnaces. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 29 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'furnace.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English furnas, from Anglo-French forneise, from Latin fornac-, fornax; akin to Latin formus warm — more at therm

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of furnace was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near furnace

Cite this Entry

“Furnace.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/furnace. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

furnace

noun
fur·​nace ˈfər-nəs How to pronounce furnace (audio)
: an enclosed structure in which heat is produced (as for heating a house or melting metals)

More from Merriam-Webster on furnace

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