ore

¹ American  

[awr, ohr] / ɔr, oʊr /

noun

1. a metal-bearing mineral or rock, or a native metal, that can be mined at a profit.

2. a mineral or natural product serving as a source of some nonmetallic substance, as sulfur.

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öre ² American  

[œ-ruh] / ˈœ rə /

Also øre

noun

plural

öre

1. a bronze coin of Norway, one 100th of a krone.

2. a zinc or bronze coin of Denmark, one 100th of a krone.

3. a bronze coin of Sweden, one 100th of a krona.

4. a fractional currency of the Faeroe Islands, one 100th of a krona.

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Ore. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Oregon.

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ore ¹ British  

/ ɔː /

noun

1. any naturally occurring mineral or aggregate of minerals from which economically important constituents, esp metals, can be extracted

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öre ² British  

/ ˈørə /

noun

1. a Scandinavian monetary unit worth one hundredth of a Swedish krona and ( øre ) one hundredth of a Danish and Norwegian krone

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ore Scientific  

/ ôr /

1. A naturally occurring mineral or rock from which a valuable or useful substance, especially a metal, can be extracted at a reasonable cost.

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ore Cultural  

1. In geology, a mineral that contains a commercially useful material, such as gold or uranium.

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Discover More

Ore deposits are generally mined, and the ore is processed to recover the material.

Etymology

Origin of ore¹

before 900; conflation of Middle English ore, Old English ōra ore, unreduced metal; and Middle English or(e) ore, metal, Old English ār brass, cognate with Old Saxon, Old High German ēr, Old Norse eir, Gothic aiz; compare Latin aes bronze, coin, money

Origin of öre²

First recorded in 1600–10; ultimately from Latin aureus “a gold coin of ancient Rome”; aureus ( def. )

Example Sentences

De-emphasizing China is a long process that stretches from the mine to ore processing to metal and alloy making to magnet production.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Whitish ore, rich in copper and silver, is extracted from the country's depths and exported around the world to fuel technological and energy transitions.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Jefferies highlights coal and iron ore miners as most at risk given the large volumes they need to move.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

The HyIron plant, in the west of the country, turns ore into pure iron for steel making, something normally done with fossil fuels.

From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026

Then, “I don’t remember. The day ended and there was Mike and there were the ore cars, mostly empty.”

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov

Related Words

• gold
• iron
• metal
• mineral
• platinum