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.

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ounce ² American  

[ouns] / aʊns /

noun

1. snow leopard.

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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

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ounce ² British  

/ aʊns /

noun

1. another name for snow leopard

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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

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ounce Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing ounce

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

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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

See Examples For:

ounce

Spot gold slips 0.2% to $4,020.88 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

—Gold prices were under renewed pressure, slipping back below $4,100 an ounce as investors await remarks from Fed Chair Kevin Warsh this week.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

—In early European trading, New York gold futures were up 0.9% to $4,107.10 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Spot gold gains 1.0% to $4,093.89 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

With every ounce of strength he could muster, Harry raised his head a few inches and saw an animal amid the light, galloping away across the lake....

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling