ounce

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈau̇n(t)s 

1

a

: a unit of weight equal to ¹/₁₂ troy pound see Weights and Measures Table

b

: a unit of weight equal to ¹/₁₆ avoirdupois pound

c

: a small amount

an ounce of sense

2

: fluid ounce

ounce

2 of 2

noun (2)

: snow leopard

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• shred
• glimmer
• sprinkling
• splash
• hint
• speck
• bit
• little
• touch
• lick

Examples of ounce in a Sentence

Noun (1)

an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Catch up with your crew or a date in the red velvet booths over ice cold martinis and their standout menu item, Drai’s caviar pasta which is topped with 0.4 ounces of Reserve Kaluga Caviar. —Rana Good, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2025

My body had held on to every morsel of food and liquid ounce, unsure when it would be fed again. —Wesley Stenzel, EW.com, 7 Aug. 2025

The agency also ended its shoe-removal policy in early July, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later hinted that the agency might change its liquids policy, which are generally restricted to 3.4 ounces per container in carry-on bags. —Nathan Diller, USA Today, 5 Aug. 2025

This was where Leclerc’s innate ability to hustle a car through a qualifying lap and extract every last ounce of pace made all the difference. —Luke Smith, New York Times, 2 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French unce, from Latin uncia 12th part, ounce, from unus one — more at one

Noun (2)

Middle English unce lynx, from Middle French, alteration (by misdivision, as if l'once the ounce) of lonce, probably from Old Italian lonza, from Middle Greek lynk-, lynx, from Greek

First Known Use

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1774, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ounce

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

Rhymes for ounce

• bounce
• flounce
• pounce
• announce
• denounce
• pronounce
• renounce

Kids Definition

ounce

noun

ˈau̇n(t)s

1

a

: a unit of weight equal to ¹⁄₁₂ troy pound (about 31 grams) see measure

b

: a unit of weight equal to ¹⁄₁₆ avoirdupois pound (about 28 grams)

c

: a small amount

an ounce of common sense

2

: fluid ounce

Etymology

Noun

Middle English unce, ounce "ounce," from early French unce (same meaning), from Latin uncia "a twelfth part, ounce," from unus "one" — related to inch, unite

Word Origin

The Latin word uncia was used to mean "a twelfth part of something." In reference to length, it meant one-twelfth of a pes "foot." In reference to weight, it meant one-twelfth of a libra "pound." Uncia, as a unit of length, came into Old English as ince or ynce, which became our inch. Uncia, as a unit of weight, came into Middle English from the early French word unce and became our ounce. In the present system of weights used in this country, the pound is divided into sixteen parts instead of twelve. The result is that the ounce, which originally meant one-twelfth, is now equal to one-sixteenth of a pound.

Medical Definition

ounce

noun

ˈau̇n(t)s 

1

a

: a unit of troy weight equal to ¹/₁₂ troy pound or 31.103 grams

b

: a unit of avoirdupois weight equal to ¹/₁₆ avoirdupois pound or 28.350 grams

2

: fluid ounce