twelve

American  

[twelv] / twɛlv /

noun

• twelves
  plural

1. a cardinal number, 10 plus 2.

2. a symbol for this number, as 12 or XII.

3. a set of this many persons or things.

4. the Twelve, the 12 apostles chosen by Christ.

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adjective

1. amounting to 12 in number.

twelve British  

/ twɛlv /

noun

1. the cardinal number that is the sum of ten and two See also number

2. a numeral, 12, XII, etc, representing this number

3. something represented by, representing, or consisting of 12 units

4. Also called: twelve o'clock. noon or midnight

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determiner

1. 1. amounting to twelve

      twelve loaves

   2. ( as pronoun ) See also dozen

      twelve have arrived

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• twelves
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of twelve

before 900; Middle English twelve, inflected form of twelf, Old English twelfe literally, (ten and) two leave, i.e., two left over; cognate with Old Frisian twelef, twelf, Old High German zwelif, Old Norse tōlf, Gothic twalif; compare Lithuanian dvýlika; see two, leave ¹, eleven

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

twelve twelves

None of the aircraft had flown through San Salvador in the previous twelve months.

From Barron's ● Oct. 30, 2026

The research effort began more than twelve years ago, when scientists repeatedly encountered frogs that clearly appeared to represent species that had never been formally described.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 30, 2026

Some of them were as young as twelve, others in their late seventies.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

“In fact, we’ve added more first-time users over the past twelve months than in any period over the past five years.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

Abuela explains, “I should say, I was born in Turkey. I left for Cuba when I was twelve and never returned to Turkey, never saw my mother and father and my two sisters again.”

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

We need to think about the world in terms of twelves!

From The New Yorker ● Nov. 7, 2019

Six seeds are 86-50 against the elevens, fives are 89-47 against twelves, and once you get to fours vs. thirteens, you're in never gonna happen territory.

From Golf Digest ● Mar. 18, 2019

Your teacher chants, “Twelve twelves, a hundred thirty-four.”

From The New Yorker ● Sep. 17, 2012

To lessen drag, Eagle's new tab-shaped rudder is much smaller than usual and is tucked farther forward than in most twelves.

From Time Magazine Archive

“Twelve twelves are a hundred and forty-four,” Little Britches pointed out.

From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck

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