Word
ounce
US/ˈaʊns/
UK/ˈaʊns/
Definitions
01unit of weight
n. a unit for measuring weight, equal to about 28 grams.
n. a unit of mass in the avoirdupois system, equivalent to 1/16 of a pound or approximately 28.35 grams.
“The recipe calls for eight ounces of butter and two cups of flour.”
“The postal clerk weighed the letter carefully, noting that it was just under one ounce and therefore required only a single stamp.”
American English · British English
Usage
Often abbreviated as 'oz' in recipes and on packaging.
Synonyms
02unit of liquid volume
n. a unit for measuring liquids, equal to about 30 millilitres.
n. a unit of liquid volume, though the US fluid ounce (approx. 29.6 ml) differs slightly from the British imperial fluid ounce (approx. 28.4 ml).
“The small bottle of perfume contains only one fluid ounce.”
“Standard airline regulations typically limit passengers to carrying containers of three fluid ounces or less in their hand luggage.”
American English · British English
Usage
Usually referred to as a 'fluid ounce' to distinguish it from the unit of weight.
Synonyms
03a tiny amount
n. a very small amount of something, usually a feeling or a quality.
n. a figurative small quantity or scintilla of an abstract quality, such as common sense or evidence.
“If he had an ounce of common sense, he wouldn't go out in this storm.”
“The defence attorney argued that there was not a single ounce of evidence to connect his client to the scene of the crime.”
Usage
Commonly used in negative constructions or 'if' clauses to emphasize a total lack of a quality.
04snow leopard
n. another name for a snow leopard, a large cat with pale fur and dark spots.
n. a common name for the snow leopard (Panthera uncia), a large felid native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.
“The ounce is a beautiful cat that lives high in the snowy mountains.”
“In older natural history texts, the snow leopard is frequently referred to as the ounce, a term derived from the Old French 'once'.”
Literary
Teaching tip
This sense is rare in modern conversation; learners will almost always encounter 'snow leopard' instead.
Synonyms
Real-World Examples
“That’s less than one drop in an 8-ounce glass of water.” “The company is expected to sell approximately 5.3 million ounces of gold this year.” “We poured about an ounce of coffee from each moka pot into teacups, for a brand-concealed taste test, which we repeated with several types of beans.” “He says “[The] cortado as I know it is one espresso plus one ounce of hot milk.” Bruno Danese is the owner of Japan’s Hoccino Coffees .” Etymology
From Middle English ounce, unce, from Middle French once, from Latin uncia (“Roman ounce, various similar units”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *óynos (“one”). Doublet of a, one, inch, uncia, onça, onza, oka, ouguiya, and awqiyyah.
From Middle French once, from Old French lonce (“lynx”), by false division (the l was thought to be the article), from Italian lonza, ultimately from Ancient Greek λύγξ (lúnx, “lynx”). Doublet of onza and lynx.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure — Precaution and prevention of an undesirable thing is preferable to dealing with its potential consequences.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/ounce