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.

---

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

---

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

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

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

twelve twelves

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

Anthony Darrell Hines, 66, who has maintained his innocence for four years and is bedridden, is scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on Thursday under the same protocol that failed twelve weeks ago with Carruthers.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 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

It is his Excalibur, his Andúril, the vaunted weapon only he can string and use to hit a bullseye through a row of twelve crossed axes.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

Sailing a hundred miles with the wind might take twelve or fourteen hours, depending on wind strength, boat, and sailor.

From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen

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

As for the mammoth "coffee grinder" winches vital for racing twelves, no one had seen anything like them in France.

From Time Magazine Archive

He explained that he was quite sure there were more twelves involved.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett