ounce
1 Americannoun
-
a unit of weight equal to 437.5 grains or 1/16 pound (28.35 grams) avoirdupois.
-
a unit of 480 grains, 1/12 pound (31.1 grams) troy or apothecaries' weight.
-
a fluid ounce.
-
a small quantity or portion.
noun
noun
-
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
-
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
-
short for fluid ounce
-
a small portion or amount
noun
-
A unit of weight in the US Customary System equal to 1/16 of a pound or 437.5 grains (28.35 grams).
-
See Table at measurement
-
See fluid 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
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.
However, Goldman sees gold prices picking up in 2027, with the bank expecting prices to reach $4,800 an ounce next year, still down from its prior projection of $5,400.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026
Gold contracts in New York fell back below $4,100 a troy ounce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Front-month gold rises 3.4% in New York to $4,061.10 a troy ounce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026
Capital Economics expects gold to fall to $3,600 an ounce by the end of 2027.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
The sadness stays put, but I feel an ounce of the weight on my shoulders slowly drift away, and I inhale, breathing a little easier than I have in a long time.
From "Five Feet Apart" by Rachael Lippincott
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
