furnace

furnace — noun

1. a very hot enclosed chamber or structure used in factories and industrial settin

1.名詞B2
釋義

a very hot enclosed chamber or structure used in factories and industrial settings for melting metals, making glass, or burning waste at extremely high temperatures

例句

Karim watched as the factory workers poured molten iron from the furnace into large moulds.

The old furnace in the glassblowing workshop glowed red-hot throughout the night.

collocation: glowed red-hot for extreme heat

同義詞
  • kiln

    for pottery, bricks, or cement — not for metal melting or waste burning

  • smelter

    specifically for extracting metal from ore, not for general high-heat processing

  • incinerator

    only for burning waste, not for melting or refining materials

文法句型

a/an + furnace

furnace + noun (attributive)

用法筆記

Often found in compound nouns that name specific furnace types: blast furnace (for iron production), electric arc furnace (for steelmaking), or kiln (for pottery and cement). This industrial sense is less frequent in everyday conversation than the building-heating sense.

常見錯誤

❌The home furnace melted the steel.
✅The industrial furnace in the factory melted the steel.
💡Only industrial furnaces reach the extreme temperatures needed to melt metal; a home furnace heats air or water to much lower temperatures.

2. a device that burns fuel or uses electricity to provide warmth to a building, ty

2.名詞B1
釋義

a device that burns fuel or uses electricity to provide warmth to a building, typically by heating air or water that moves through pipes, vents, or radiators

例句

The technician arrived to repair the furnace before the winter cold set in.

Adisa checked the furnace filter every month to keep the heating system running well.

collocation: furnace filter + monthly routine

同義詞
  • boiler

    heats water for radiators, more common in British English; a furnace typically heats air for duct-based systems

  • heater

    more general term for any device that produces warmth, often smaller or portable

反義詞
  • air conditioner

    cools a building instead of heating it; the opposite seasonal appliance

文法句型

a/an + furnace

the + furnace

furnace + noun (attributive)

用法筆記

This sense is more common in American English. In British English, 'boiler' is typically used instead when the system heats water for radiators. 'Furnace' in this sense refers specifically to the heat-producing unit, not the whole heating system. The metaphorical simile 'like a furnace' (meaning very hot) is common in informal speech: 'This room is like a furnace!'

常見錯誤

❌I turned on the furnace to cook dinner.
✅I turned on the furnace to warm the house.
💡A building furnace heats indoor air or water; it is not the same as a stove or oven for cooking.