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
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
-
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.
The dollar index DXY is little changed, as oil futures CL.1 slide and gold futures GC00 trade around $4,392 an ounce.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026
Spot gold eases 0.2% to $4,346.86 a troy ounce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
The metal now trades around a third lower than its 2026 peak at $1,860 an ounce.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Platinum futures surged at the beginning of the year to top $2,900 an ounce in January amid a wider investor frenzy around precious metals, before pulling back sharply.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
It takes every ounce of courage in my blood.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
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.
