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Synonyms

ounce

1 American  
[ouns] / aʊns /

noun

  1. a unit of weight equal to 437.5 grains or 1/16 pound (28.35 grams) avoirdupois.

  2. a unit of 480 grains, 1/12 pound (31.1 grams) troy or apothecaries' weight.

  3. a fluid ounce.

  4. a small quantity or portion.

ounce 2 American  
[ouns] / aʊns /

noun

  1. snow leopard.

ounce 1 British  
/ aʊns /

noun

  1. another name for snow leopard

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ounce 2 British  
/ aʊns /

noun

  1.  oz.  a unit of weight equal to one sixteenth of a pound (avoirdupois); 1 ounce is equal to 437.5 grains or 28.349 grams

  2. a unit of weight equal to one twelfth of a Troy or Apothecaries' pound; 1 ounce is equal to 480 grains or 31.103 grams

  3. short for fluid ounce

  4. a small portion or amount

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
ounce Scientific  
/ ouns /

  1. A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 1/16 of a pound or 437.5 grains (28.35 grams).

  2. See Table at measurement

  3. See fluid ounce

ounce Idioms  

    More idioms and phrases containing ounce

    • more bang for the buck (bounce for the ounce)

Etymology

Origin of ounce1

1350–1400; Middle English unce < Middle French < Latin uncia twelfth part, inch, ounce, derivative of unus one

Origin of ounce2

1300–50; Middle English unce lynx < Anglo-French; Old French once, variant of lonce (erroneously taken as l'once the ounce) < Vulgar Latin *luncea, derivative of Latin lync- (stem of lynx ) lynx

Vocabulary lists containing ounce

Measurement and Data

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Half Ounce said his music career started at the age of 11 after his mother arranged for him to meet Xzibit.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2022

Ounce for ounce, table, kosher and sea salt have about the same sodium count.

From Washington Post • Mar. 14, 2022

The fires caused $190,000 worth of damage at Habitude Spa and Red Star Taco Bar and another $10,000 in damage to the restaurant Ounce of Prevention, according to the Seattle Fire Department.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 26, 2018

She didn’t invent Forty Ounce Rosé, which was pioneered by a respected New York sommelier to approving notice in blogs like Eater last year.

From Slate • Jul. 25, 2017

No Fo’ty Ounce and his creaky cart or Mrs. Pearl hollering a greeting from across the street.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.