ounce

1
[ ouns ]
See synonyms for ounce on Thesaurus.com
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.

  1. a small quantity or portion.

Origin of ounce

1
1350–1400; Middle English unce<Middle French <Latin uncia twelfth part, inch, ounce, derivative of unusone

Words Nearby ounce

Other definitions for ounce (2 of 2)

ounce2
[ ouns ]

Origin of ounce

2
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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use ounce in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ounce (1 of 2)

ounce1

/ (aʊns) /


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

  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

  1. short for fluid ounce

  2. a small portion or amount

Origin of ounce

1
C14: from Old French unce, from Latin uncia a twelfth; from ūnus one

British Dictionary definitions for ounce (2 of 2)

ounce2

/ (aʊns) /


noun
  1. another name for snow leopard

Origin of ounce

2
C18: from Old French once, by mistaken division of lonce as if l'once, from Latin lynx

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

Scientific definitions for ounce

ounce

[ ouns ]


  1. A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 116 of a pound or 437.5 grains (28.35 grams). See Table at measurement.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with ounce

ounce

In addition to the idiom beginning with ounce

  • ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, an

also see:

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

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