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)

• ace
• bit
• crumb
• dab
• dram
• driblet
• glimmer
• hint
• lick
• little
• mite
• nip
• particle
• peanuts
• ray
• scintilla
• scruple
• shade
• shadow
• shred
• skosh
• smack
• smell
• smidgen
• smidgeon
• smidgin
• smidge
• snap
• soupçon
• spark
• spatter
• speck
• splash
• spot
• sprinkling
• strain
• streak
• suspicion
• tad
• touch
• trace

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

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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

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

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

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