ounce

1 of 2

noun (1)

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

ounce

2 of 2

noun (2)

Examples of ounce in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Crumble Smith recommends using half your body weight as a starting point to figure out how many ounces per day to drink. Alyssa Hui, Verywell Health, 16 Nov. 2023 Since 30,000 pounds is 480,000 ounces, that number divided by 29-ounce packages of nuggets equals 16,551 packages. Serenah McKay, Arkansas Online, 8 Nov. 2023 In 2019 the price was about $3,000 per ounce, increasing to nearly $14,000 in 2020 and nearly $26,000 in 2021. Jasmine Cui, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2023 Baby's nails and hair and continuing to grow, and your unborn baby may also add a few ounces to their body weight—but, as previously mentioned, this should remain pretty stable. Alexandra Frost, Parents, 5 Nov. 2023 Limit your portion size to a serving of 3–4 ounces of red meat per meal. Nick Blackmer, Verywell Health, 2 Nov. 2023 Assuming a serving is one solid ounce of chocolate, that's 4.25 µg per serving, which is 8.5 times the Prop 65 MADL. John Timmer, Ars Technica, 1 Nov. 2023 Twenty ounces of sea salt are stored in a resealable tub. Rebecca Jones, Southern Living, 25 Oct. 2023 Sleekly designed and shockingly easy to brew, this device has the capacity to yield up to 16 ounces of cold, velvety coffee. Cai Cramer, Peoplemag, 24 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ounce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of ounce was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near ounce

Cite this Entry

“Ounce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ounce. Accessed 29 Nov. 2023.

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
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
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

More from Merriam-Webster on ounce

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