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gas furnace

gas furnace

1 3.0
A machine that burns gas to heat a building
  • noun
  • /ɡæs ˈfɜrnɪs/
  • US
translation icon : horno de gas
  • To keep warm during winter, we rely on our new gas furnace for heating the entire house.
  • natural gas furnace
  • residential gas furnace
  • gas furnace and boiler

Examples

  • Meanwhile, down below, the freshly embodied Bones studies the gas furnace.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • It is also worth replacing gas furnaces with heat pumps, as this also saves gas.

    Blog text (11)
  • A key safety precaution for operating industrial gas furnaces, whether in metal, glass, or food processing, is cutting off the flow of fuel when the flame is out.

    Academic text (2000)
  • It won't be too cold, so if the electric trigger to the gas furnace goes, we'll be untoasty but not really cold.

    Blog text (5)
  • Switching to high-efficiency (92 percent) gas furnaces or boilers reduces CO2 emissions per unit of delivered space heat by three-quarters.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Every year, I schedule maintenance for my gas furnace to ensure it runs efficiently and safely.

  • If your gas furnace makes unusual noises, it's important to call a technician for inspection.

Synonyms

furnace
vsgas furnace
93 4.1

A closed chamber that makes very high heat for melting metal, burning waste or heating buildings

is the version for building heating that runs on a specific fuel
gas heater
vsgas furnace
1 2.5

A machine that burns gas to make a room warm

is a larger built-in system for heating whole buildings
gas heat
vsgas furnace
  • US
1 2.6

Heat from burning natural gas to warm a building

is a specific appliance that warms rooms rather than the entire system

Surface Forms

gas furnace singular
gas furnaces plural

Morphology

gas + furnace

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'gas' (a gaseous fuel) with 'furnace' (a heating device): a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand this as a furnace that uses gas. This is a productive noun–noun composition common across languages and not idiomatic, so no special prior exposure is required.

Etymology

Gas furnace is a clear picture: a furnace, a big heating box, that uses gas to make heat. So, it means 'a furnace that uses gas to heat a building'.