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

According to provincial data, Quebec’s exports of metal ores and non-metallic minerals dropped by nearly 25% in 2025, alongside double-digit declines in autos, chemicals, and plastics products. — Tiago Ventura, Time, 7 Oct. 2026

Yet Germany’s meager amount of uranium ore had been divided between different piles in the project. — Mike McRae 06, New Atlas, 6 Oct. 2026

Indonesia imposed a ban on nickel ore exports to encourage smelters to move refining operations to the country; the country is now pushing to attract more of the EV value chain, including car and battery manufacturing. — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026

The vessels will primarily carry iron ore from Brazil to global markets, with China expected to be a major destination. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 5 Oct. 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