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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.  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 2 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 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

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.

—Gold prices extended gains, climbing back above $4,700 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal

“The precious metal appears to have found some support near $4,500 an ounce, with investors taking advantage of cheaper gold as inflation worries weighed on the metal,” analysts at ANZ said.

From The Wall Street Journal

I sit on my hands to steady my tremor, and count and breathe, count and breathe, searching the depths of me for another ounce of courage.

From Literature

Clare would have to draw on every ounce of cunning, patience, and poise.

From Literature

Gold advanced above $4,500 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.