TOP

Definition of ounce noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

ounce

noun
 
/aʊns/
 
/aʊns/
 Idioms
jump to other results
  1. [countable]
    (abbreviation oz)
    (in Britain and North America) a unit for measuring weight, 116 of a pound, equal to 28.35 grams see also fluid ounceTopics Cooking and eatingc1, Maths and measurementc1
  2. [singular] ounce of something (informal) (used especially with negatives) a very small quantity of something
    • There's not an ounce of truth in her story.
    3. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French unce, from Latin uncia ‘twelfth part (of a pound or foot)’; compare with inch.
Idioms
an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure (US English)
(British English prevention is better than cure)
  1. (saying) it is better to stop something bad from happening rather than try to deal with the problems after it has happened
See ounce in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee ounce in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
Check pronunciation: ounce

Nearby words

given
adjective
 
 
From the Word list
OPAL spoken words
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day