ore

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈȯr 

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

ore

2 of 4

noun (2)

ˈər-ə 

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

øre

4 of 4

noun (3)

ˈər-ə 

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

Noun

There, it is being used to access iron ore reserves that were earlier considered too deep or complex to extract economically. —Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026

Cyanidation is a process used to extract gold from low-grade ore by dissolving it in a dilute cyanide solution. —Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 9 Apr. 2026

Pedra Branca, about 280 miles from Oiapoque, grew between 2007 and 2014 during an iron ore boom. —Gabriela Sá Pessoa, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026

Vale's stock is down almost 7% since the Iran war began, yet iron ore prices have rallied about 8%. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026

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

Phrases Containing ore

• ore dressing

Rhymes for ore

• boar
• boer
• bore
• chore
• cor
• core
• corps
• crore
• door
• drawer
• floor
• flor

Kids Definition

ore

1 of 2 noun

ˈō(ə)r 

ˈȯ(ə)r

: 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