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⇱ OUNCE Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

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.

Profit-taking by holders of ETFs as gold hit a record of over $5,000 an ounce also weighed on the precious metal.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

—New York gold futures tumbled 4% to $4,619.30 a troy ounce.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

Haefele’s prediction looked solid on Tuesday: Gold continuous futures rose 3% to roughly $4,695 an ounce.

From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026

UBS has an end-of-year gold target of $5,600 per ounce, based primarily on the assumption that investors will continue to want to diversify their portfolios with purchases of the precious metal.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

She bit off about an ounce and returned the plug to her apron pocket.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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.