doss

[ dos ]

See synonyms for: doss dosses on Thesaurus.com

noun

a place to sleep, especially in a cheap lodging house.
sleep: I had some great doss last night, and I'm feeling pretty good today.

verb (used without object)

to sleep or lie down in any convenient place: We dossed in the park last night, but it started to rain in the early morning.

Origin of doss

First recorded in 1775–85; origin obscure; perhaps from French dos, from Latin dorsum, dossum “back, ridge”

Words Nearby doss

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use doss in a sentence

The second way,” doss adds, “is individual communications between Tamarod people and state institutions.
A Cairo Conspiracy | Mike Giglio | July 12, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
So there were plenty of places I could doss when I was young, free, and single.
The Beatles’ Secretary, Good Ol’ Freda, Breaks Silence in Exclusive SXSW Interview | Marlow Stern | March 14, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
Meet Willa doss, a beauty mogul who has struck gold with a line of facial products marketed to the tween set.
Meet Willa Doss, The 12-Year-Old Beauty Mogul Behind The Willa Skincare Line | Lizzie Crocker | August 6, 2012 | THE DAILY BEAST
As Helles, Anzac and Tenedos have each been ruled out, we are going to doss down on this sandbank opposite us.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I | Ian Hamilton
This identification is to help Rosalind, as she may not be able to spot this particular doss-house among all she knows.
Somehow Good | William de Morgan

As to the "fourpenny doss," its discomforts are probably mainly owing to its inmates.
Highways and Byways in London | Mrs. E. T. Cook.
It was near midnight when Creed sought his patient mule at the rack, to find that doss Provine had ridden the animal away.
Judith of the Cumberlands | Alice MacGowan
We'll treat him like a king, and give him first-rate grub and a doss fit for a bloomin' dook.
Five Children and It | E. Nesbit

British Dictionary definitions for doss

doss

/ (dɒs) British slang /

verb

(intr often foll by down) to sleep, esp in a dosshouse
(intr often foll by around) to pass time aimlessly

noun

a bed, esp in a dosshouse
a slang word for sleep

short for dosshouse
a task or pastime requiring little effort: making a film is a bit of a doss

Origin of doss

C18: of uncertain origin

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Browse