often attributive
1
: a naturally occurring mineral containing a valuable constituent (such as metal) for which it is mined and worked
2
: a source from which valuable matter is extracted
plural ore
: a monetary subunit of the krona (Sweden) and krone see krona, krone at Money Table

Ore

3 of 4

abbreviation

variants or Oreg
Oregon
plural øre
1
: a Danish monetary unit equal to 1/100 krone see krone at Money Table
also : a coin representing one Danish øre

Note: Denmark's Faeroe Islands and Greenland also use an øre.

2
: a Norwegian monetary unit equal to 1/100 krone see krone at Money Table
also : a coin representing one Norwegian øre

Examples of ore in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Based in Australia, BHP is by market capitalization that produces iron ore, copper and metallurgical coal, according to its website. Lee Ying Shan,tanaya MacHeel, CNBC, 15 July 2026 For years, African leaders have argued that value addition should apply to minerals, not just raw ore. Yinka Adegoke, semafor.com, 10 July 2026 In the case of this Norwegian bandwagon—or rather, longship—everyone is welcome to grab an ore and row along. Alan Chazaro, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 July 2026 Finally, in 1968, a fully continuous line was completed, driven by the need to transport iron ore to the coast. Justin Meneguzzi, Travel + Leisure, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for ore

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English or, oor, partly from Old English ōra ore; partly from Old English ār brass; akin to Old High German ēr bronze, Latin aes copper, bronze

Noun (2)

Swedish öre & Danish & Norwegian øre

Noun (3)

Danish & Norwegian, from Latin aureus a gold coin

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of ore was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Ore.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ore. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

Kids Definition

ore

1 of 2 noun
: a mineral mined to obtain a substance that it contains
iron ore

ore

2 of 2 noun
ˈər-ə
plural ore
: a unit of value equal to ¹⁄₁₀₀ krona or ¹⁄₁₀₀ krone
Etymology

Noun

Swedish öre and Danish and Norwegian øre

More from Merriam-Webster on ore

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster