oz

1 of 2

abbreviation

ounce; ounces

Oz

2 of 2

noun

ˈäz How to pronounce Oz (audio)
: an ideal or fantastical place
a wacky Oz of a restaurant, an amiable blend of foolishness and innocence and freshness—Colman Andrews

Word History

Etymology

Abbreviation

obsolete Italian onza (now oncia)

Noun

from Oz, mythical land in a series of books by L. Frank Baum

First Known Use

Noun

1931, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of oz was in 1931

Dictionary Entries Near oz

Oz

oz

Ozanna

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Oz.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/oz. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Medical Definition

oz

abbreviation
ounce; ounces

Biographical Definition

Oz

biographical name

ˈäz How to pronounce Oz (audio)
ˈōz
Amos 1939–2018 born Amos Klausner Israeli writer

More from Merriam-Webster on oz

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about oz

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

What does 'at large' mean?

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

Birds Say the Darndest Things

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
dog-hard-hat-hammer
Odd Jobs Quiz Work smarter, not harder, to figure out these occ...