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

Lithium output in Chile could potentially be affected by high rainfall in drying ponds, while iron ore exports from Brazil are at risk from port delays. — Tim Treadgold, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

Achieving and verifying high-purity output from secondary feedstocks, rather than virgin mined ore, is a technically demanding problem that has limited the domestic recycling sector for years. — Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 30 June 2026

Direct reduction furnaces purify iron ore without fully melting it. — John Lippert, Chicago Tribune, 28 June 2026

Every one of Kenny’s beats is a chunk of ore from a different comet. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 25 June 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