What does "ore" mean?
Rock or other material that contains valuable or utilitarian materials; primarily a rock containing metals or gems for which it is typically mined and processed.
Ore
/oɹ/ name, noun, prep
name, noun, prep ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Rock or other material that contains valuable or utilitarian materials; primarily a rock containing metals or gems for which it is typically mined and processed.
- Grammar: ore is listed as name, noun, prep.
- Nearest alternatives: argentite, arsenopyrite, bauxite, beryl.
- Useful contrasts: gangue, slags, smelt.
- Usage evidence: Iron ore occurs there in abundance.
How to use "ore"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "ore" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "ore" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "ore" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "ore" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "ore" is acting as name, noun, prep in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "argentite" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "ore", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Rock or other material that contains valuable or utilitarian materials; primarily a rock containing metals or gems for which it is typically mined and processed. countable, uncountable
"They generally occur in the earth in what are called veins, and are seldom found in the pure metallic state, but generally in combination with some other substance, in which state they are called ores."
- 2 A unit of currency used in England around the 10th to 12th centuries.
"In the time of Æthelred the Unready when the pound contained 240 pence, the ore was reckoned at 16 pence, but in earlier times there was probably much variation."
- 3 Seaweed, especially that which is washed up ashore. archaic, dialectal, uncountable
- 4 A type of fine wool, especially of the type historically produced in the market town of Leominster, Herefordshire. historical, uncountable
"But then the ore of Lempſter / By Got is never a Sempſter; / That when he is ſpun, ore did, / Yet match him with hir thrid"
- 5 Alternative form of öre. alt-of, alternative
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a monetary subunit in Denmark and Norway and Sweden; 100 ore equal 1 krona wordnet
- 7 a mineral that contains metal that is valuable enough to be mined wordnet
Preposition
- 1 Obsolete form of over. alt-of, obsolete
"When I behold the violet paſt prime, / And ſable curls or ſiluer'd ore with white: […]"
Proper Noun
- 1 A suburban area, formerly a village, in Hastings borough, East Sussex, England (OS grid ref TQ8311).
- 2 Abbreviation of Oregon. abbreviation, alt-of
- 3 A river in Suffolk, England, in two sections; a non-tidal section that joins the River Alde, and a tidal section, a renaming of the Alde parallel to the coast south of Aldeburgh, passing Orford before entering the North Sea.
- 4 A tributary of the River Leven, Fife council area, Scotland.
Example
"Iron ore occurs there in abundance."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "ore"?
Common synonyms include: argentite, arsenopyrite, bauxite, beryl, chalcocite, cinnabar.
How do you use "ore" in a sentence?
Iron ore occurs there in abundance.
How do you pronounce "ore"?
Pronounced /oɹ/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English or, oor, blend of Old English ōra (“ore, unwrought metal”) and ār (“brass, copper, bronze”), the first a derivate of ear (“earth”), the second from Proto-West Germanic *aiʀ, from Proto-Germanic *aiz, from Proto-Indo-European *áyos, h₂éyos. Compare Old Norse eir (“brass, copper”), German ehern (“of metal, of iron”), Gothic 𐌰𐌹𐌶 (aiz, “ore”); also Dutch oer (“ferrous hardpan; bog iron ore”). Compare Latin aes (“bronze, copper”), Avestan 𐬀𐬌𐬌𐬀𐬵 (aiiah), Sanskrit अयस् (áyas, “copper, iron”).
Etymology 2
Borrowed from Latin ora.
Etymology 3
A southern variant of ware (“seaweed”).
Etymology 4
Possibly originating as a figurative use of Etymology 1, with Leominster's "ore" representing the wealth of the town.
Etymology 5
* From Old English ora (“edge, stream bank, brink”) * For the river, a back-formation from Orford, Suffolk.